The times., 1898-10-30
MALARIAL DISEASES.
Germany Makes Elaborate Prepare
tiOns to Conquer Them.

SeEIuIhy NuAeS
tions to Conquer Them.
Consul General Frank II. Mason, at
Frankfort has forwarded to the State
Department the following report on Ger
man studies of malarial disease:
1.-THE German Colonial Society. one of
the most important of several permanent
associations at Berlin which are devoted
in one way or another to the systematic
development of Germanys colonial pos
sessions and the foreign trade of the en-
pire, has taken up with great energy the
suggestions of Prof. Koch as to the ne
cessity of more effective measures for
studying and mastering the malarial dis
eases which now so seriously restrict the
settlement and impair the value of the
colonies in Africa and the East, which
have been acquired and maintained at
such cost of effort and outlay.
Besides these preparations for pro-
lonsed and systematic observation, Prof.
Koch has appealed to the Prussian min
istry of medical affairs, to which he is
officially subordinate, for two scientific
expeditions, to be organized and con-
Quoted under his personal direction, for
the purpose of completing thoroughly the
preliminary studies which he has made
In Italy, Africa, and India. According
to the announced plan, one of these COM
missions will be limited to three months
and be assigned to the study of malaria
in Greece and Italy, in which countries
the climatic conditions are to some eX-
tent influenced by bad drainage and un-
sanitary habits of the people In old and
badly constructed cities.
The second expedition is. to occupy two
wears and make an exhaustive study OF
malaria at the deadliest fever districts OF
New Guinea, East Africa, and india. Inc
keen interest manifested in this whoie
subject by the Prussian ministry and
imperial foreign office, and the VIDE at
tention that has been attracted by Prof.
Koch's reports OF his preliminary studies
of malaria in tropical countries, encour-
age the belief that both the proposed ex-
peditions will be authorized and their re-
spectiye missions carried out in accord
ance with DIR. Koch's specifications.
Among the other interesting deductions
of Prof. Koch is his freely expressed
opinion that the indiscriminate use OF
quinine as n prophylactic in malarial
countries is attended with great danger,
and is in many cases, the indirect cause OF
the pernicious 'blackwater' fever. one of
the most virulsnt forms OF malariai dis
ease The very general practice among
persons coming from temperate 10 tropi-
cal lat!tudes of saturating their systems
with quinine taken in irregular and often
excessive doses is vigorously condemned,
for two reasons; first, because II seriously
weakens the action OF the heart; and, sec
ond. because the system, having become
Injured to the drug. fails to respond TO
quinine treatment in case of actual sick
ness. The efficiency of the drug having
been exhausted as a preventive, 1t has no
a1,-s
and experience shows that a person debil-
itated by the excessive use of quinine may
take malarial fever and die of it like any
one else Prof. Koch even goes so far as
TO assert that the increased death rate in
certain portions Of West Africa where
the conditions of living have been greatly
improved during the past ten years, is due
largely to the increased indiscriminate
use of quinine caused by its greater
cheapness and the ease with which 1t can
now be obtained.
Another fact noticed and mentioned by
Prof. Koch during his studies in Africa
and India Is that women withstand ex
posure TO malarial climates far better
than men. During the appalling mortal
ity on the Gold Coast within the past
four years, says the report, there was
hardly a death among the women living
out there, while every kind of man was
dying-men new TO the Tropics. men born
in them, men who had been accustomed
to them for years, even men who had
battled with the ravages of West Africa
for upwards of ten years.
THE subject is certainly so important
as to invest with worldwide interest the
efforts that Germany is now making un-
der the lead of her foremost bacterioio-
gst to reach a clear understanding of,
and more potent mastery over. the
scourge which now makes desert some
of the fairest and most fertile portions
of the earth :"