The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1899-06-03

Nens and Courier.

followed with intelligent interest the
prolonged snd able discussion of the
same subject in these columns, kindly
sends US the following abstract Of an
article by W. S. Thayer, of Baltimore,
entitled "Recent Investigations upon
Malaris," and printed in the Medical
News, May 20, 1899:
Cup to the last year our ideas as to
the manner of infection in malaria
have been mainly speculative. There
have been three chief hypotheaes:
ID That the disease is acquired
through the castro intestinal tract.
(2) That Infection takes place through
the inhaled air. (S) That the poison
may gain access to the body through
the bites ofinsects.
This solution of this problem has
been greatly delayed by our ignorance
as to the form in which the malarlal
parasites exist outside the human
body. Experiment and analysis Of
the evidence 60 to show that there la
little to support the view that the di-
sease may be acquired through the
gastro-intes'inal tract. Experiments
made by Mariotti and Ciarrochi,
Machilfava and Celli, Marino, Zeri,
Grassi aud Feletti have shown that
the administration Of large quantities
of water, from highly malarious dis
tricis, by the mouth and otherwise,
and by inhalations, as we'll as the
actual ipgestion of blood containing
living mslarial parasites, is incapable
of causing Infection"
This is a truly formidable paper, on
the face of it, to be sure; but On care
full consideration of its contents we
do not finG anything in them to cause
US to abandon the position we have
maintained heretofore.
The solution of the problem, it is
conceded to begin with, has beer
greatly delayed by our ignorance
with regard to the chief factor in it
and the conclusions which follow, i
not exactly based on that ignorance
are, at least, of q negative character
Experiment and analysis of the eVi'
dence, it is further stated, 90 to show
that ."there is little to support the
view" that malaria may be acquired
through the gastro-intestiusl tract
and we stand on that little until it ii
shown that the disease is usually &C
quired otherwise than through th'
tract named.
The experiments of Marriott, Ciar
rochi, Machiafava, Cell, Teri, Grass
and Feletti were well planned, NJ
doubt, and possess a certain curiou!
interest, but more cannot be strictly
claimed for those gentlemen than ths
they tailed signally to produce malaris
in subjects chosen for the purpose b!
the means which they employed. l.
their experiments Can be held to prov,
anytning, it would be, in our view
that they have lighted on the wront
| parasite, and that the trus malaria
! parasite has eluded them as it hs
eluded 80 many investigators befor
them, and that 'scur ignorance as Il
the form in which it exists outside o.
the human body" has not been en-
lightsned by their laborious investi
cations. Some parasites, it is vel
known, change their form entirely il
changed conditions Qfoe In ans
the same germs, OF y
| into vastly unlike q :
animals. We dol
or how far, these facts apply to th'
case in point, but it is pertinent tt
remember and remark, in any event
that Messrs. Marriott & Company hav'
been experimenting wholly will
Italian malaria. and we have no reason
to assume that their investigation
have she'd or will shed any particula
light on the American variety-whicf
is the kind we are interested in.
For ourselves we are well assured
by the mass Of evidence to that effect
which we EaVe read-some of it from
excellent medical authority-tha
any family CT community in this par
of the world can avoid contracting tht
native malaria by drinking only natu
rally or artiicially sterilized water
and milk; and eating no fruit or yege,
tables taken from the ground in sus
| picious places; and not walking abou
in wet grass, in the summertime; and
perhaps, not bathing the body, OF
washing the face, or brushing the
teeth, with doubtful Water-as it j:
not knowD whether the parasites car
crawl, or not, and it is we'll to take nc
chances on that point.
For the rest. we have to add only
that if any scientific person doubts tha
| American malaria can be contracted
ont Of hand by flooding the castro
intestinal tract with water from 6
pond, for Instance, in a highly ms
larious American district, that ques
ton at least can be settled directly by
practical experiment, and We are
quite willing to assist, in our humble
and unscienlific way, in making it al