Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-12-20
CITY OFFICERS,
How Does Malaria Enter the
Human System?

Human SystemP
| The last article IN the REPORTER
| enumerated the conditions found
necessary for malaria 1t demonstrated
that the specific germ itself, suitable
soil, moisture, temperature and a time
for development and growth was re-
quired to produce that fever which
causes one half the deaths in the whole
world; that fever which destroys twice
as many lives as typhoid fever and
three times as many as hectic fever or
consumption. Its nature is demon
| strated by its natural history, by the
associations and circumstances that
surround the existence and perpetuity
of any organism, to be minute vegeta-
| bic germ. This was announced to the
world 40 years ago by Prof Mitchell, of
| Philadelphia. Celebrated medical
investigators have found the germ in
the AIR and SOIL, which, being in occulat-
ed into dogs and other animals produces
! typical malarial fever with chills and
fever, enlarged liver and spleen. The
germ has also been found in the body
of those sick with malaria. The second
question Of this vast question now
comes: How does malaria enter the
| human system?
This question is alike important to all
classes of people for malaria has no
respect for persons low and high suffer
alike and it enters palace as bold as
a hovel. Almost the whole essence
of the question is answered from
the observation of 5000 historical
years which shows that it enters the
system mainly and almost wholly
through the respiratory tract. In other
words man breathes it into his system.
Hundreds of absolute practical proofs
may be offered
First, among the best proofs stands
prevailing winds, whole districts of
people who live on the side Of malarial
swamps may be entirely free from the
disease until the winds begin to
blow on them from the malarial
| region when the disease soon
begins to be epidemic. The other dis
trlcts OF people on whom the wind
| does not blow are free from the disease.
Factories in malarial districts demon
Strates with equal force that man
breathes malaria. The men live several
miles away from the factory in a non
malarial district. They bring all food
and water that they use during the day
directly from their non-malarial home.
! No food or water is thus taken into the
system from the malarial district in
which the factory stands. But in a
short time many of these factory hands
are taken sick with malaria. They
therefore can only breathe it into the
system. The writer has observed in
southern malarial districts still more
corroberating proofs of the fact that
man breathes malaria. In August and
September the hay harvesters proceed,
| daily, from their non-malarial homes to
the parched and dried hay bottoms
which abound in malaria. All food and
| drinks are taken from where none are
sick with malaria. In about four weeks
or thirty days the hay makers begin to
| get sick with malaria They have
breathed it into their system. All at
| home remain well until 1t is spread in
the families by the sick hay makers
| Again distinct proof arises where new
soil is upheaved, as canals, railroads
ditching and breaking up new land
The men who labor at this work quickly
acquire malaria, while others are free.
They drink and eat the same food as the
other people. The most indisputable
proof that man breathes malaria lies in
the fact that in the past 5000 historical
years the constant assertion, almost
without exception, of writer's on malar-
Ia is that night air contains more malaria
than day air. 1t has been the common
talk of people who live in hot malarial
regions that travellers will become sick
if they travel in the swamps at night.
The writings of all travellers and
authors are full of these assertions from
Josephus through the ages to DIR.
Livingstone the African explorer in
the hot bed of malaria These asser-
tions that night air contains more malar-
la than day air is an unconscious admit
tance that mores is breathed at night
than day. At night. the earth radiates
its heat forming current of air which
carries the germs to float in greater
quantities in the atmosphere. 1t is
| found that if men sleep on the ground
in malarial countries they acquire it
quicker than men sleeping in the second
stories or houses raised from the
ground. This simply means that the
air contains more germs close to the
ground than higher up in the atmos-
phere. Travellers who have obtained
their flood n and water from non
malarial districts soon acquire the dis
ease on. entering malarial region.
They could only breathe it into their
system
There is wide spread popular pref