Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1882-08-08
Malaria.


The Disease In Connscticut--Imterest
Phases.
The report of the State Board of Health
for June says: The most interesting feature
in the renewed prevalence of malarial dis
eases is the difference Of behavior in regions
lately invaded and in those where it has been
prevalent for some years. In the former the
cases are quite often more numerous, and are
clear cut cases of chills and fever lasting g.
few days and recovery complete until after
longer or shorter interval another similar at
tack occurs In the latter generally the cases
are much less in number but of severer
! type or of more chronic nature the types
| are constant here if the frequency be nearly
the same. Thus in Hartford we have one
| death from oongestive chill, three from ty-
| phoid malarial fever, blending of the newer
malaria with the Indigenous typhoid, which
form of malarial disease although sometimes
the first that appears, is more often
an indication of the increasing strength of tbs
typhoid type and the decrease of the malarl-
| al. The variety called malarlal fever IS still
farther weakening of the distinctive peri
odic type two deaths are reported from this
form in New Haven, while in Meriden two
deaths are reported from congestlve chill,
, one from malaria and one from typhoid
fever. The increased frequency of typhoid
| fever has already been discussed, still its ap
pearance side by side of malarlal fevers OF
| marked type is very peculiar.
The spread into new territory is steady,
| but not rapid nor uniform. 1t is Interesting
| to watch the repetition of the now familiar
phenomena which characteristic of the
| appearance of malaria in new fields and the
process by which it becomes established.
There is no more interesting and important
| question for this part of the country than the
| ultimate cause of malaria.
| Congestive chis are reported also from
| several other localities where malarial dis.
| eases have been prevalent for years, but the
} prevalent types in these regions are typhoid
malarial fever, dumb asue and chronic mala.
ria. These varieties quite often reported
| as less amenable to treatment than formerly
more persistent, oftener fatal. The neuralgia
complications peculiarly obstinate al
though rheumatic affections are about as in
| tractable. The only consolation is that there
is apparently fading out of the type and 6
| slow but significant movement in the direc
ton of an entire cessation of the disease.
There is no question in the causation Of
disease as yet unsolved of more practical i'm
| portance than that relating to the agencies
which cause malaria, although the theory o.
its production, by minute organisms vacterae
, of one or more varieties, is exceedingly plaus
ible, and very probably true. Still it is no
yet proven, and so we are as yet uncertain
| whether the first cause is of q chemical ma
ture, liquid gaseous poison, the result O
putrefactive decay with certain degree o
moisture and temperature minute micro
scopical living germs. The cessation of tn
systematic study of this subject by all tn
aids modern science affords just inauguratet
by the National Board of Health in connec
ton with our own State Board of Health ant
those of New York and Massachusetts, rem
dered necessary by the recent action of Con
gress restricting the work of the board t.
!, yellow fever smallpox and cholera is yer.
unfortunate to say the least. The need of
central power to collate and compare tn
3 different results of individual work. sift GU
D the crudities, and complete the work by tn
| accumulated results from each field is YER
| evident. Such work cannot be done by CO
ordinate powers, there must be head.