The Portland daily press., 1896-02-15
THE SOURCE OF MALARIA.
An Investigation That Shows 1t Is Oftener
in the Water Than the Air.
(From the Medical Journal

(From the Medical Journal
The investigation on the source of ma
laria has had the writer's attention for
over two years, and in that time large
amount Of clinical testimony has been
collected from all known malarial dis
tricts in North America the final report,
however, will hardly be ready for publ
cation for some months, but from the
work already completed certain facts
nave been obtained which will be en-
bodied in this short notice.
The introduction of artesian wells, first
by the railroad companies who desire
a larger supply of water than had hith-
erto been available, and the accidental
use of that water by the people in the
Immediate vicinity, soon produced
marked diminution of malarial .trou bles
in those localities. The artssian supplies
were, ON the whole, SO satisfactory to the
railroads that their introduction became
very rapid and in few years most of
the South Atlantic lines depended upon
this source of water supply. The evil
denoe that in the exclusive use of the
deep. seated waters there was entire i'm
munity from maiarial trouble was ap-
mined upon critical examination of all
waters known to produce malarial and
those that in malarial districts were
proof gainst it; this examination is not
| only chemical, but biological and path
illogical.
In the present state of our knowledg
we do not expect to be able to draw a
sharp line betweens waters that produce
| malaria and those proof against it by
purely chemical analysis nor, on the
other hand, can we hope to identify by
biological examination the protozoa
producing that trouble; but we may by
toxic products peculiar to those waters
only. and by tho latter certain line of
testimony that. in conjunction with the
| chemical Investigation, will yield very
valuable results. The work thus far has
proved satisfactory beyond expectation,
and, from the work already done, and
| the character and amount of evidence be-
| tcre me am justified IN stating that the
| long current belief that tho source of ma
| laria is in the air is in error.
| The germ, which is of soil origin, is
| strictly protozoa, and reaches it's high
est developments in low, moist ground,
| with q favorable temperature Surround
protocol passes from one stage of life
| into another with considerable rapidity :,
so that IN the present state of our sxp6r-
mental knowledge it is impossible to
identify it, nor is it probable that by Gull
| ture we shall be able to produce the ac-
| man system.
AS a rule, the potable water from the
inalaral districts is derived from driven
wells to over twenty two feet deep, In
| soil with clay or some other imperyious
lsnbstrata, which water is geerally cool
and palata BILE, of the sparklig clear, but
more frequetly little turbid. This
water is filled with calculahle number
of these germs in all stages of develop
menr, and il used as potable water they
naturally find their way into the system
| through the palimentary channel. This
| protozoa passes through SO many orm
or stages of life that in some stages it il
| light enough to float and be transpor ted
\ by the moist air of low grounds but in
| this state it is comparatively harmless
except under most extraordinary oondi-
| tions it is not until the surface water is
used that the mischief beigns, when, by
reason of higher Development it has
become much more virulent than that
| floating in the air. A very short period
of incubation is sufficient to davelop Sc
| we're case of malarial fever in the new
From personal observation know that
the exclusive use of pure, deep seated
water affords entire immunity against
malaria in sections of country where no
white man dared live using the surface
water Nor must it be understood that
he exclusive use of pure water simply
forti6es and strengthens the, system
| againt The attack of the germ. The water
is the primary cause of infection, which
acts as the direct carrier of the germ into
the system through the intestinal tract.
The impression that malaria is caused
by purely atmospheric influences has be-
come so fixed in our minds that, unless
we come in actual contact in the evidence
produced in the use Of pure water as
against that heretofore used. the physi-
clan will, in all probability, be very slow
to allow himself TO be convinced that the
word malarial (mai, bad; aria. air. is
II misnomer, and that sassmalaqua (inal.
bad aqua, water) is the word that
should be used to convey the psrnioious
effects known under the name Of malar-
ial fever, 9