The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-20
THE GERMS OF MALARIA.
Identified Beyond Question--Wash ington
City People Need Vaccination.


Malaria is epidemic in Washington City.
Physicians say that it has not been so bad
here for many years as at present. The
effective clerical force in all of the depart
ments has been reduced by the disease.
Perchance some day method of inocu-
lation for the prevention of malaria may
be devised. Science has got hold of the
germ recently and identified it beyond
question. 1t 10 not bacillus or any kind
of bacterium. as has been imagined,
but an animal parasite. The name given
to it is Plasmodium Malaria. 1t belongs
to the lowest grade of animal life, being q
"protozoan."
This little parasite, which is of micro
scopic dimensions, appears to make its
home ordinarily in the soil. 1t is pienti-
full in swamps, but wherever virgin ground
is turned up for the first time the plas-
medium is apt to be very numerously pres
ent. 1t has been noticed in towns that
when much digging and turning over of
earth has been going on, malaria exhibits
tendency to prevail. There has been a
good deal of digging in Washington City
lately.
Entering the human body through the
lungs, the plasmodium seeks roosting
place in one of the red corpuscles of the
blood. These corpuscles are in shape fat,
round disks, bearing q curious re-
semblance under the microscope to
pieces of money. How essential
their weli-being is TO health everybody
knows. The parasite, having taken up its
residence in one of the corpuscles, pro-
ceeds to multiply. forming little colony.
The colony feeds upon the material of the
corpuscl6, which thus becomes disorgan-
lied and is finally destroyed, so that the
hostile germs are sent along in the blood.
At the beginning they were merely bits of
protoplasmic jelly, without any particular
shape, but now they become free SWIM
mers, and have developed long, hair-like
oars to paddle about with. Each one has
three such oars radiating from its body.
Thus they make their way through the
veins and arteries, following the tide of
the circulation.
OF course, it is not possible that this sort
of thing should go on TO any considerable
extent without seriously affecting the
health of the individual. The latter is at
tackled by chils, alternating with fever.
Quinine and other remedies destructive to
the parasites relieve these symptoms
However, If the patient continues to be
exposed TO the absorption of the germs in
q malarial region, medicines will cease to
have effect. The blood, invaded by hordes
of plasmodia, becomes filled with disor-
ganized red corpuscles. and Nature gives
up the fight, death ensuing.
Now that medical science knows pre-
cisely what 1t has to contend against in
the treatment of this hitherto mysterious
disease, il may be able to find more effee-
tive remedies. Already the discovery has
enabled physicians to correctly diagnose
many malarial cases which have way of
counterfeiting typhoid fever and other
troubles. In such instances the presence of
the plasmodia in the blood, readily ascer-
tanned by the microscope, settles the
question. Besides, if one must suffer, it
is q great comfort to know what is COB
bling one up. RENE BAcHE.