The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1884-10-02
LEMONS VS.. MALARIA.
The Fruit Claimed to Be a Panacea
for the Disease.

The eighth session of the Inter-
| national Medical Congress has just
| been held in Copenhagen. Through
| the enterprise of the IMedtcd! Record,
a synopsis of the proceedings and a
few of the most important papers in
full have been received by telegraph.
| The paper of greatest scientific and
| popular interest to the American peo-
| pie is that read by Professor Conrad
| Tomassi Crudeli, of the University of
Rome. Italy, and entitled ''The Natural
| Production of Malaria, and the Means
of Making Malarious Countries Health
| ier."
Professor Crudeli has devoted years
to the scientific study of malaria, and
is without doubt the highest authority
on the subject. His conclusions are,
therefore, entitled to great weight.
| He repudiatos utterly the paludal
| theory of malaria, that is, that malaria
is exclusively produced by the putrid
emanations of swamps and marshes.
On the contrary, he finds that it is pro-
duced in soils of the most varied COM
position, without the presence OF any
putrefaction whatever, and is due TO
the presence of a specific living vege-
table germ. This germ may exist in
soils without poisoning the atmos-
phere, remaining inert for years, even
| for centuries, retaining its vitality,
however, and becoming active only
| when certain necessary conditions are
present. These conditions, the con-
currence of which is indispensable for
| the production of malaria, are three in
number, viz: A temperature which
does not fall below 67.5 degrees
1 Fahrenheit; very moderate degree of
direct action of the oxygen of the air
| upon the strata of earth containing the
malarial ferment.
| Such being the factors in the case,
| what can be done TO remove one or
| more of them and thus render malari-
Gus regions more salubrious? In the
| first place nature makes localities
healthy during certain seasons by tax
ing away the factor of heat, there
| being less malarial Infection in Winter
than in Summer. But this means is
obviously beyond the reach O man,
nor is it at all certain that it would be
| effective in this country, If within his
reach, for every physician has noted
the fact that. while malarial diseases
prevail to less degree III frosty wealth
er, yet old cases have relapses and new
cases occur, even in midwinter.
The second means of prevention con-
sists in depriving the ground of its
moisture, by some system of drainage,
by cultivation Of plants and trees
which consume a large amount of
water in their growth, or by the de-
struction of dense forests which pre-
vent the rays of the sun reaching and
drying the soil. Much hope was placed
in the eucalyptus tree as means of
extracting moisture from the ground,
but the experience with it, in Italy, at
least, is not encouraging.
The third method of publication is
to prevent the direct action of the oxy-
| gen of the air upon the infected strata
of soil. This has been successfully
accomplished by the system of over
laying, which consists in covering the
infected ground with thick layers of
uninfected earth, at the same time en-
ploying thorough systems of surface
and underground drainage. Regions
about Rome, heretofore malarious,
have been benefited by macadamizing
and turfing the ground.
in districts where malaria prevails
in a pernicious form it is difficult to
carry out large works of Improvement,
which take time for their accomplish
ment, such rs the forced cultivation of
the soil, because of the sickness of the
laborers. Professor Crudeli has there
fore been devoting tho last few years
| TO a search Tor means to increase the
power of resistance of the human
organism to the attacks of malaria.
Acknowledging the great value of
quinlne and arsenic, as preventive and
curative, he has still sought to discov-
er cheaper, harmless and vet et1ec-
tive remedy, and this he believes he
has found in the ordinary lemon. He
does not claim the discovery as origin
al with himself, or indeed with any
| physician, but candidly acknowledges
the remedy to be of popular origin,
and, with true scientific spirit, seeks
| knowledge not only in the exact re-
searches of the laboratory, but also in
the everyday experience of common
people. He advises that decoetio- 3
lemon be made as follow. Cut M W
one lemon. peel ar ia all into thin
nd0', snd p9' mr. three glassfuls of water
ShH S ooil it down to one classful.
2.raln ;,Ii y" liquid through linen, squeez-
/. ~ .horoughly y the remains of boiled
lemon, and set it aside to cool. Drink
the whole amount when fasting. AS
the decoction possesses cathartic prop
ertles the dose should not be repeated
LOO frequently, nor more than once
day, or every other day, according to
| individual susceptibility
Whether the decoction of lemon will
prove to be of permanent value can
only be determined by extended ex-
| pertinent. 1t is claimed for it that it is
especially efficacious in the chronic
forms of malarial poisoning, which are
no longer relieved by quinine As the
remedy is cheap and innocuous it will
| probably receive almost universal trial,
especially as it is recommended by such
eminent authority. 1t is to be borne in
mind, however, that malarial mani
festations are not exactly the same in
different countries and in different in
dlvlduais, and that q medicine curative
IN Italy may be less so here. 1t is to
be hoped that the subject will receive
such careful study that the exact type
or maiarial poisoning to which it is
adapted may become known and accu-
rately defined.-HarJord C0urant.
Something akin to free love flourish
es IN Anam. Ordinarily wedlock is