The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-23

! SaloIs. WneI d section OF fresh human
| blood containing malaria germs is
placed on a microscope slide, and the
! germs are observed carefully for some
! time, 1t will be seen that a remarkable
change takes place in the germs In
! stead OF remaining a shapeless mass,
the young germ Will elongate or spread
and at last throw off arms OF. tIageIla
Whlch are violently waved about in all
| directions, and which seem to impart a
| power of arbitrary motion backward
and forward across the field of the
microscope. This curious change has
been regarded until lately as its death
throes. But now it seems that this
suddenly acquired power of independ-
! ent movement comes to the microbe
LOT Two purposes. One is protection;
the other is locomotion outside the
| human body. The first assumptfon is
best explained by the observations OF
Dr.. Ross.
A Battle In Germ land.
While observing plasmodium which
had Just acquired its fiagella, ne saw
a phagocyte make its way directly to
the malaria germ, probably with the
intention of devouring it. Ordinarily
this would have been easy, but the
germ, instead of allowing itself to be
attacked, attacked the phagocyta in a
battle royal that lasted over fifteen
minutes. Finally the phagocyte drew
off, and the plasmodium, still full of
fight, hurried across the microscope
side for distance of two fields, to
where another phagocyte was wander
ing aimlessly
1t hurled itself on the second phago-
cyte pushing hard against it with one
of its arms. The phagocyte tried to
rear up and get around and envelop
the plasmodium, but finally gave up
and fiattened itself against an air bub-
Bile, while the pfasmodium still kept on
pummelins it; After fifty minutes an
other phagOcyte appeared. coming rap
idly across the field. The plasmodfum
then left its fallen foe and attacked
the newcomer. The third phagocyte
got enough of 1t in about one minute
and turned squarely around. fleeing
across the whole field, THE pIasnodium
hanging on like a snake on a. dog"
After five minutes the plaslnodium let
go and the phagOcyte skunk away The
malaria germ had by this time reached
the limit of its endurance in the rapid
ly weakening blood on the microscopic
slide. 1t grew slightly larger and quite
sluggish and finally attached itself to
the glass of the slide and died
How Malaria Is Transmitted.
Now, it is evident that the plasmo-
dunn has a moving existence outside
the human body. This is best explained
by the experiments of DR.. Ross on mos
quitoesi 1t seemed probable that the
malaria germ was sucked out of the
human body by the flea, the bug. the
louise. the leech, the sand fly. or the
mosquito. The geographical distribu-
ton of the disease pointed to the last
two, and especially to the mosquito. So |
DIR. Ross secured some specimens of the !
gray or bareback mosquito and all !
lowed them to feed on a man affected |
with malaria. Then he examined the |
blood of the mosquito under the micro |
scope and secured pigments of the dis |
ease. He also inoculated birds by en-
closing them under a net with malaria (
mosquitoes and found the dis |
ease was transmitted. The infection of |
the birds was proof sufficient of the |
supposed transmission and that mos
quitOeS are the most potent agents for
the disease.
1t may be said that the mosquito,
taking human blood into it's stomach.
would not cause the transmission of
the germs. So it is claimed that this
is why the microbe develops the power
of voluntary movement; so that it may
attach itself to and penetrate the wall
of the mosquitoes alimentary canal,
and finally reach the circulatory system
Of the insect, where it can perform the
functions of its existence, di
viding and subdividing and getting
ready generally for its introduction
again into some unfortunate human
most.
OF course. the mosquito does not al
ways inoculate human beings directly
1t may die in the egg-laying process,
when the germs may thus get into
water and become the source of water
oorne malaria; or the insect may die
IN land by accident and its germ-Ia-
len body be borne down the wind until
t. reached the proper combination for
dissemination.
Geographical Extent.
Two diseases, consumption and ma
aria, contend with one another for the
mastery of the world. Where one is,
he other is not, but one or the other is
The mortality records
snow that more persons die of pnthisic
han of malarial fever, but the ill-ef-
ects of the latter are much more wide
aria is more to be feared than con-
The disease was known to the an
tents, and the marshes near Rome
which bred it before the days of Christ
still hold it as a deadly menace. 1t is
Known variouSly as malaria. ch1lls and
ever fever and ague, Kala Azar, tropi-
al fever, West Indian fever. South I
american fever, Mexican fever, black {
ever black water fever, highland yell
ow fever.
The sun never sets on the whole ter
tory in which the malarial germ op-
rates. Between the Goth parallel north,
md the 30th parallel south, it sweeps /
constantly in a great wav of Infection
Lround and around the world, carrying