The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-06-08
c ABOUT MALARIA.
rs Close Relation to Certain Conditions o.
the Soil.

rs Close Relation to Certain Conditions OF
the Soil.
According to a table of admissions
for malarial fevers furnished by the
London hospital to Sir Joseph Fayrer,
and which extend over a period of ITO
years-from ITO to fSS0-whereaS. in
1871 out of Isl patients admitted into
the hospital go were for malarial fever;
In 1850. out of a total of 6.312 admis-
sionS. II were for malariOuS fever. and
in many years the proportion was still
smaller. This il a very good example
Of the ~diminutiOn of malarial disease
II the United Kingdom generally since
the time when we lost kings andnobles
from aguc fits. As a contrast. how
ever. Sir Joseph Fayrer teaches us that
In CeylOn in ten years 9i.S2i persons
died from ague and remittcnt fever.
and in the Madras presidency in n
year-viZ.. lSs0-the deaths from these
causes were 200. $40. increasing during
Il famine year GS11l to iG9.24l. The
monthly mortality varied from 1880
in June. 1850. to % 1863 in January. and
this appears to be greater in winter
1-ANAA III tAAAAEAA III NaA0AA- HDBLA tlANLE
with the lowering of the temperature
after the extreme heat. Europeans are
thought to be moro liable to malarial
fever than natives; but this is not alto
gether proved. for Waring shows by a
comparison of the relative prevalence
of fever in the European and ma
tive troops of the Madras army for
ten yeaAS-1S29-1s3S-that. while the
percentage of admissions from
fever was for Europeans 1:.s.
for natives it was 16.T. and the mortal
ity for Europeans was OLE, against G.2i
for natives. MalariouS fever prevails
extensively in tropical Africa. but here
natives do not seem to be Is liable as
Europeans: in fact. negroes were at ore
time held Ia he exempt. but Surgeon
Parke proved that natives of central
and western Africa, though they might
be acclimatized at home, if they re-
moved to another part of the country
lost this immunity and were as liable
to contract malarial fevers as Europe
ans. Therefore. it will be seen that
race does not insure protection.
The close connection of malaria with
Soil Is shown in various ways. If the
suns rays are prevented from reaching
the soil by the interposition of paving,
as has been done in many parts of the
city of Rome. malaria ceases. and if a
marsh is flooded from the sea and thus
a layer of salt covers the soil. malari-
Gus influences disappear. On the other
hand. it is promoted by the rapid dry
ing up Of marshes. beds of rivers and
streams. and especially by the breaking
up of such soil, when fresh surfaces are
exposed to the suns influence. Ac-
cording to Parke. the special soils
which appear TO promote malaria are
the following: u ~alluvial soils. old
cstuaricS and deltaS: 81 sands. if there
be impermeablc clay or marshy subsoil.
and old w~atercoprseS: CO the lower
parts of chalk. if there be a subSoil of
clay or Sault; a. Weathered granite
trap rocks. if vegetable matter has be-
come intcrmiXcd: % rich vegetable soils
at the foot of hills. Sir Joseph
Fayrer holds that SubSOil water or
damp il the essential condition of ma
saria. and especially if the SuhSOil he
imprcgnatcd with a certain amount of
Stagnant moisture. and thiSi is probably
present in many of those localities in
which the appearance of malaria is so
difficult of explanation. Malaria APP
pears 20 he at It's worst in the drying
up season after rains. but during the
rains ii is less severe. While turning
up new soil generally increases the
danger of malaria. draining and crop
ping the same soil aftcrward dimin-
ishcS il. In the south of Europe deltaS
of rivers and luw-lying districts with a
certain amount of marsh are the COM
mon foci of malaria. Altitude cXer-
cises some protecting influence. and in
south Italy. in the malariouS districts.
the villages are built on the hills for
this reason: but it has been shown hat
wind may carry the malariaI poison up
to the sides of mountains and. indeed,
over their tops. Surgeon Parkc mem
toned having met with it in equatorial
Africa on 4 dry plain lO.On1 feet in
height. 50 that elevation must not be
reckoncd on as giving complete protcc-
ton. There seemed to be some relation
to rainfall. a, in tropical countries it
appears 10 prevail in districts with d
rainfall. as in the Indian Tcrai.
possibly on account of the constant
presence 81 SuhSoil water.
The cause of malaria is now held by
authorities 10 he 4 proto-
zoon or vegetable micro-or~a0l,u in
habitiur tn" blood of man and some ot
the lower animals. II WAS discovered
I.Hv..rgn in i--D in h1mru bIO,f -