Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-10-02
MALARIA.
Its Cause anil Description of Its Abiding
Places.

Its Cause AMI Description of Its Abiding
Places.
Malaria has been known for ages. 1t
occurs in hot temperatures and near
swamps and marshes, near shallow
and muddy ponds Heat and water
are the principal forces that induce
this annoying and often severe malady.
Like nearly all other diseases, it comes
in various degrees of severity, depend
ing upon the activity and abundance
of the causes and the susceptibility Of
those who are exposed to its influences.
Heat and water induce vcgetal and
animal decay. The process of decay
generates certain germs, that are so
light as to be easily waited long dis.
tances on the air.
As warm seasons lengthen and high
temperature strengthens, the malaria
Incomes more and more severe and
fatal Malaria generated in marshes
covered with a mixture of salt and
fresh water, is often unusually severe
Malaria is usually limited to low
grounds. Heat and moisture are the
ordinary causes of malaria When
once generated it spreads slowly
Trough the air, or by It is waited to
adjacent lands, unless its course is
checked by forests, walls and hills
Malaria may travel long distances By
water, and spread over localities that
Otherwise would be healthy. Fortu-
natcly, however, the extension of these
germs is not always present. They
sink to the surface of the earth as the
,hadcS OF night come on, but rise agaiu
in the late morning hours. Those who
reside in malarial districts are less apt
to suffer, when the sun and air mas
lifted them from the earth. E.--I
The severity and fatality OF n. llarial
fever depends upon the heat, moisture
and the amount of vegetal decay &C.
curing in company. And so it hap
pens that it is more mild in moderat"
temperatures, aud more severe and
pcrnicious in high. Malarious maladies
may be checked, or cured, if those
t:iccicd by them move to some more
genial climate. Even if cured, the suf-
ferer may be revisited by the disease
50 long rs he remains under the infu-
5nce of the cause. lie can not fully
regain his former strength of mind and
body, but these will gradually lessen
until he can no longer live. 1t may not
quickly and greatly impair health, but
may often induce other maladies that
Mt Malely weaken the system and unfit
t 10 meet and repel maladies. Chill
,lren and adults should always be kept
well and vigorous. that they may DO
! Dbl. to repel the many evil influences
20 which they are exposed. A poor
supply and poor kind of food will
finnish this power of resistance to
hausting influences. .r
These facts indicate what those
III do who live In malarial districts.
Hish to resist influences so disas.
trous TO health and LIE. With all the
efforts 10 resist these influences, tho
disease may come and art can not en-
tircly remove its severity, but may
greatly mitigate it. One means Of do
ing SO is to largely diminish the amount
of moisture in the soil on which they
live. Dwellings should be placed on
high and we'll drained lands. The
drains should be SO deep as TO re-
move moisture from the subsuil.
Drainage contributes not only TO early
and romunerative crops. but to health
and comfort. Houses should be
so placed that the prevailing
winds may not drive malarial intlu-
ences into them, or into their vi
cinity. The more distant they arc
from malarial sources of disease the
surcr they are 10 be free from this
source OF disease and suffering. Avoid,
then, slowly moving and muddy rivers.
whose shores are widely covered with
watery and decomposing vegetable aud
animal materials. Ii houses must bc
built in malarial localities, encirclr
them with growing trees that naturally
absorb large quantities of moisture,
and so remove one cause of generating
malaria. The location of dwelling.
then, should be well drained. ltshoull
be Cncircled. but not dcnscly shaded,
by rank growing plants or trees. Even
IN the temperate zones we perceive bad
0dors rising from ccSspools and sewers
in the early morning and late evening
hours.
Those, then. who reside in malariaI
districts should guard against exposures
to malaria whilst the sunny rays arc
absent. Experience shows that very
little if any, danger is incurred, II eX-
posed during the warm parts of the
day. As malaria is heavier than air il
creops upon the surface and rises as the
expanded air lifts it up. And we find
it safer in malarious districts to enter
the outer air at midday than in the
early morning hours. And then again
rs malaria sinks in the evening and
keeps near the surface of the earth, il
rarely is found above four feet above
the surface. We may inhalc it If We
sleep near the level Of the ground. Up
per rooms are always safer. freer from
malaria than the lower ones. Oui
readers must see the use of keeping the
house warm and dry, and the adjacent
lands free from docaying materials.
In many localities in our prairie land.
the water used for drinking is impure
especially when it is drawn from wells
that are near ccsspools and sewers and
other collections of dirt aud filth. Il
such water must be drank, let it be vel
boiled SO as to remove all impurities. -
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