Evening star., 1898-11-04
STUDY OF MAlARiAL DISEASE
Efforts to Reach a Clear Understanding
Under Koch Lead.
Medical Officers to BE Sent to the
Consul General Mason's Report.

Consul General Mason at Frankfort has
made an interesting report to the State De-
| partment in regard to the efforts that Ger
| many is making under the lead of Pro-
! fessor Koch, her foremost bacteriologist, to
| reach d clear understanding of and more
potent mastery over malarial disease, which
! now makes desert some of the faireSt
and most fertile regions of the earth. To
| this end medical officers are to be sent to
| the colonial possessions of Germany. They
| will nave special scientific training in the
/ diagnosis, treatment and prophylaXis Of
| malarial disease and their work is in
! tended to aid in the systematic develop
| ment of Germany's colonial possessions and
foreign trade.
| Besides these preparations for prolonged
and systematic observation. Professor Koch
| has appealed to the Prussian ministry of
medical affairs for two further scientific
expeditions for the purpose of completing
thoroughly the preliminary studies which
he has made in Italy, Africa and India. Ac-
cording to the announced plan. one of
these commissions will be limited to three
months and be assigned to the study of
malaria in Greece and Italy, in which coun-
| tries the climatic conditions are to some
extent influenced by bad drainage and in
sanitary habits of the people in old and
badly constructed cities.
The second expedition is to occupy two
years and make an exhaustive study of
malaria at the deadiiest fever districts of
New Guinea, East Africa ard India.
Dr. Koch recently left Rome after six
| weeks of study in the hospitals where are
treated cases of Roman and Campagna
levers and in which he has been aided by
the foremost specialists of Italy AS re-
suit of these studies. it Is now declared that
the malarial fevers of Italy are identical in
cause and general character with those of
East Africa, and 1t Is believed that science
Is on the eve Of a decisive victory over
this whole group of maladies by means
or liquid injections of quinine into the pulse
vein The Importance OF this discovery to
Italy will be evident from the fact that of
the sixty-nine departments into which that
kingdom is divided. only six are absolutely
free from malaria. and 200 square miles,
including some of the most fertile districts
of Italy. are like the whole southeastern
coast of Corsica and much of Sardinia
practically uninha bftable on account Of ma
iaral disease
Consnf General Mason says: "Among the
other interesting deductions of Professor
Koch is his freeiv expressed opinion that
the fndiscrininste use of uuinine as a pro-
phylactic in malarial countries Is attended
with great danger. and is in many cases
the indirect cause of the nernicious black
wafer fever. one of the most v'rule1t
forms of malaria' disease The very gem
eral practice among persons coming from
temperate to troo'cai iatitn6es of satnr-
ating their svsfanns with ouinine taken In
irregular and often excessive doses IL Wig
orously condemned for two reasons: First
because 1t seriously weakens the action of
the heart, and, second, because the system