The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-04

the microscope slide for a distance OF
two fields, to where another phagocyte
was wandering aimlessly. 1t hurled It.
self on the second phagocyte, pushing
hard against it with one of its arms.
The phagocyte tried to rear up and get
around and envelope the plasmodium
but finally gave up and flattened itself
against an air bubble while the plasmo-
dunn still kept on pummeling it. After
fifty minutes another phagoeyte APP
peared coming rapidly across the held.
The plasmodium then left it's 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 plasmodium hanging on. After five
minutes the plasmodium let go and the
phagocyte skunk away. The malaria
germ had by this time reached the linn
it of its endurance in the rapidly weak
ening blood on the microscopic slide. 1t
grew slightly larger and quite sluggish,
and finally attached itself TO the glass
of the slide and died.
Now it is evident that the plasmndlum
has a moving existence outside the hui
man body. This is best explained by
the experiments Of DR.. Ross on mosqui-
toes. 1t seemed probable that the mala-
ria 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 distribution of the disease
pointed to the last two and especially
4 to the mosquito. So DR.. Ross secured
some specimens of the gray or barred
back mosquito and allowed them to
feed on a man affected with malaria.
Then he examined the blood of the mos"
quito under the microscope and secured
pigments of the disease. He also inoc-
ulated birds by enclosing them under
net with malaria affected mosquitoes
and fouCd the disease was transmitted
The infection Of the birds was proof
sufficient of the supposed transmission
and that mosquitoes are the most po-
tent agents for promulgating the dis
ease,
1T may be said that the mosquito talk
ing human blood into it's stomach would
not cause the transmission of the
germs. So it is asserted that this is
why the microbe develops the power of
voluntary movement, so that it may at
tach 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
ordinary functions of it's existence, di-
viding and sub-dividing and getting
ready generally for its introduction
again into some unfortunate human
host. OF course the mosquito does not
always inoculate human being directly
L may die in the egg-laying process,
when the germs may thus get into wa
ter and become the source of water
borne malaria, or the insect may die on
land by accident and it's germ-laden
body be borne down the wind until it
reaches the proper combination for dis
seminaton.
The sun never sets on the whole terri
tory in which the malaria germ oper-
ates. Between the Goth parallel north
and the both parallel south, it sweeps
constantly In a great wave Of infection
around and around the world It costs
its victims in the aggregate many mill
lions of dollars a year. Mosquitoes car
ry the infection. Bats have malaria,
and so do birds and animals. Horses
in Ida die of it. Stanley reported that
the donkeys which carried burdens
through the center of Africa were sus-
ceptlble. Sometimes the disease would
Turk at the foot of hill and every
person living there will become i'll; then
if those persons move up hill several
hundred feet they become immune. The
disease spread up the Assam valley in
India for twenty years, depopulating
,I,ola i
village to village, carrying it with !
them in some cases and leaving it be- |
hind in others Sometimes a family |
would move 100 yards and leave the |
disease behind; again. they would move /
far away from the infected spot, but |
the rats and vermin would follow in |
their wake, bringing the disease Large !
amounts of money have been spent in |
India to fight this malady.
While there can be no doubt that ma |
laria in its several forms is the result |
of a microbe, it is yet evident that |
there are conditions under which the |
germ will not thrive. A dry atmosphere |
is fatal to germs of all diseases. and |
to the malaria germ particularly Mala- |
ria affects those who break the soil of |
earth, who battle in or drink stagnant |
water. Soldiers fatigued by long |
who camp amid enervating |
are extremely liable to it, |
Yet the disease may not show itself |
until some time after the march. for 1
the reason that troons travelling in |
swampy districts usually are allotted a |
daily proportion of ouinine, which af- |
ter all may merely deaden the effects |
of the germ fer the time being. This |
probably was the reason so many SOL |
diers We're i'll of malaria at Montauk
Point. In Cuba the quinine held the
disease in check. In fact, it may be
said that where marshy districts exist
so also will malaria. 1t does not fol-
low, however, that the marshes them
selves are responsible. They are simply
an unsanitary condition, a country
wherein the malaria germ may live and
thrive,-New York Sun.