The record-union., 1894-06-21
THE MALARTAL FAD.

THE MALARiAL FAD.
When one is sick or "out of sorts' and
knows of no other reason for it, seven
times out of ten he ascribes it to malaria,
and the doctors, without cracking a
smile, encourage him in the delusion.
"Malaria' is simply another word for
bad air.'' That is the literal meaning.
Along with the fad of having 'got
malaria" as the vulgar saying goes, runs
the idea that low, marshy grounds are
the chief sources of nnalarial ills.
Physicians-not all. let US hope-living
upon the sea coast, as in San Francisco,
Santa Cruz and the like. take especial
delight in informing any who hap
pen from the valley sections and are
i'll while away, that they must "get out
of the malarial atmosphere of the val
leys."
For instance, the valley and river man
cannot be found who will not testify to
the fact that some San Francisco or coast
physician has at some time told him, or
some of his, that his home is in
''malarial hole" At the same time it is
fact that there is greatly more so-called
malarial affliction in San Francisco to the
square acre than in the most unwhole-
some spot of equal area in the entire
valley and river region of California.
Now come the scientists and tell US.
with proofs adduced, that much of this
chatter about swamp and valley air being
malarial is false, and is without scientific
reason and not capable of demonstration.
They declare that the atmosphere of river
regions may be and often is as pure as
that on mountain tops, and that analysis
proves it. The fact that so-called malarial
fevers are more frequent in some places
than in others, is due, they declare. not
to ''bad air." but to bad drinking water;
that the air has nothing to do with the
fever; that the miasmatic germ, or
bacillus, or whatever else it may be
termed, must find its way to the stomach
to produce miasmatie ills, just as is true
in typhoid, cholera. etc.
The waters of swamp sections most fre-
quently are unwholssome, because of de-
caying vegetable matter and stagnant
conditions. One scientist calls attention
to the fact that Southwest Georgia was ia
malarial pest hole'' until plenty of arte-
sian wells were driven and water pro-
cured from 600 feet of depth, and almost
Immediately malaria" disappear ed,
though the swamps remained. He says:
When Mr.. Disston was draining the Florida
lakes near kissimmes, Italians IN his employ
were required to put aside fund for qulnine
He took it for granted that the exposure OF
vast tracts OF ooZe to seml-tropical sun
would breed disease; but IL did not. The
Italians rebelled against the assessments as
unnecessary. The explanation is at hand.
They drank arteSian water and the air was
poWerless to hurt them.
Chinese live and labor for months to-
gether in the heart of swamps and drink
the surface water, but ''have" no ina
laria.n But the Chinese always boil
their drinking water. 1t is fact that
they most frequently, where beer users,
even boil the beer before they will inn
bibe it.
The fact is that this malaria" fad has
been run to excess as an excuse. 1t
is made the scapegoat of about six-tenths
of the ills due TO bad feeding, and for
seven-tenths of the ills of excess in vari-
Gus thing gs-Iiquor-swilling rapid eating,
gormandizing, insufficient sleep, beer
guzzling, undue use of ice-water and too
great use of auimal and too little use Of
vegetable and fruit food.
We venture the assertion that if careful
inquiry is made and scientific investiga-
ton is prosecuted it will turn out. as a
few bold scientists now assert, that the
so-called malariaI Ills are not due to i'm
pure atmosphere in one-seventh part of
the cases ascribed. Bad air is breeder
of bodily ills, of course, but by no means
is the most impure air found in the hot
valleys nor the purest in the cities and
towns of the sea coast and mountain
nights. There are other factors than loca-
ton that go to determine purity of atmos-
phere.
THE Waite OF THE NATIONAL