The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-24
THE MAIARiA EXPEDITION.
Major Ross Says That n Sierra Leone Mos
quito Causes tho Fever There.

Tropical feyers kill an appalling number Of
people In India alone the mortality nscribcd
TO fever Ia 5000. coo persons annually Large
tracts Of fertile territory have been rendered I'M
inha bitnble by fever. In one Of England's trop-
ical campaigns there were 1000 admissions into
the hospital on account Of wounds received In
battle while there were Il 600 cases Of fever and
dyscntcry There were 100 deaths among the
sufferers from wounds and injuries and nearly
600 deaths due 10 the diseases Of tropical climate
Our experience in the Cuba and Philippines cam
paigns was almost precisely tho same England
has spent enormous sums Of money in her tropical
possessions in sanitation and the maintenance
Of costly medical service and the results often
have not been commensurate with the cxpendi-
ture. Some astonishing discoveries have, how
ever. been made within the past few years which
have afforded a clue TO the origin Of dyscntcry,
malarial fever and other diseases and given foln-
dalton for the hope that further study may result
In the effective application Of measures for the
destruction Of the causes Of thismortality.
These discoveries have to do with the great fact,
now we'll established. Of the parasitic origin Of
many diseases Some years ago. for example.
the actual cause Of malaral fever was shown TO
be innumerablc very small parasites inhabiting
the red corpusclcs OF the blood writer In the
London Times in August last. thus summed up
the results Of later Investigations:
1T was soon found that each paroxysm Of fever
conceded with tho life history Of n single brood
OF such parasites. The species producing tcrtian
aGuc lived its life and brought its progeny TO the
same stage in scyenty.two hours the species pro
ducinK quattan aguc in nincty-six hours, while
quotidian hgue was found to be. no TO speak, a
double tertian, produced by broods reaching ma
turiiy on alternate days. In the irregular forms
YET another parasite was discovered. characterized
by tho formation OF certain crescent shaped bodies
which eventually developed fine threads 81 'fagel-
l@ circumstance which led to the inference
NT all. al
portion Of their lives as parasites In insects The
microscope showed that the effect Of a dose Of
m~ Was Ss 20 ,hs "Sd psr Hn az
that such dose, given to the patient suffering
from quoiidian ague. might cure him for alternate
days only-thatis 10 say, might cure one of his two
tcrttnn ngues, leaving the other uninfucnced and
requiring another do-c to be given at time cores
p2nding to particular stage in the existence
Some american men Of science had already
suggested that there was some connection between
the prevalence Of nalarial fever and the activity
of mosquitoes Italian doctors, al, the other hand
who had abundant opportunities at home Of study
sis. Then Major Roland Ross a scientific man
Of England. and lecturer in the Liverpool School
In the bodies Of one species Of mosquito distinct
traces OF ihe malatihl parasite. Further re,
sentc s IN tue pa, sTo years have established
always, caused by the bite Of the species OF mos
quito whose scientific name is anOpleles
II was decided Therefore. 10 send eIpedi-
ton 10 Sierra Leone, where malarial fever is very
prevalent and deadly. ~ ascertain, II possible
whether there is any chance II exterminatinE
the snophccs from a given malariaI area The
expedition which was headed by Major Ross
was tuned To arrive in Free Town the capital 81
Sierra Leone, in August last at the height Of the
fever season. The fever prevails all the year
but is particularly yirulent in our summer months.
the mission IN September. but h. has now returned
" England and on Nov - he delivered AN address
MorE H. SAID the mission "V Wished To nsu hls
what could bc done Ia Danish malaria from n
small area. say two or three square miles. The
members "f the party set themselves To work
on the lines Of the recent Investigations IN India
and Italy. In n few days they found numbers
81 the annphcles and IN n few days more they
discovered the germs Of malaria actually within
these insects. They knew then 10 a certainty
bic for a, hast n large part II the fever there
The next lining WAS 10 ascertain now they bred. :
II was found TINT they bred in small pools or
puddcs Of certain l;ind that are easy 10 Identify
when one has seen them. The party made maps
Of these pools aud carefully studied the larvn
reached that It would probably be easy and in.
expensive To nd the town almost entirely Of the
puddlcs or better still, by draining away the pud
dies altogether
The problem then is either to ext-rminate this !
particular NaTl"ty of mesquite OF TO provide some
sort Of protection against its bites. The fact is
interesting and Important that Dr. Grnssi in Italy.
has succ"cdcdin producing mnlarial fever by /
means NJ mesquite bites in a man who offered :
II used to b. said that one British governor ,
of Sierra lronc on going out 10 the colony always
met his predecessor coming home in his coffin.
Free Town has always ben called "ihr graveyard B
OF Eurorans" Perhaps the excessive mortality 4
among EnElishmCn there il partly explained ,
by Major Hess, who says that they occupy poor !
wooden structures, quite unfit for English per. |.
sons in that p'siifcrous climate crowded together
and mingled with the houses Of the towpspeopc
in the very lowest dampcst and hottest part Of D.
the town. There should bc a separate European /!
quarter on the highest land available.
The world has really b.Cn very slow in acting |
upon the discoveries made as 10 tn" parasitic origin
of discasc. Fifty years ago. az Major Ross re- /
marked IN his address, new parasite. the Anky-
loStOmn duodcmnlr was discovered and II IL now b
known, through the work Of private invCstig atOrs
to cause an immense amount Of sickness and =
mortality among the tropical subjects Of Great
Britain. Its presence is easily detected by the I
microscope, but its name is rarely found In medi-
cal writings. 4 few wears ago Giles ascerthined /
how It gains al entrance into human bodies |
but no ono has repeated his observations OF taken /
any interest in them. parasite was discovered, !
a few wears ago, which perhaps caused the terrible
AMI widespread disease. dyscntry. but other ,
nations than ENGLAND have pursued the inves- I
legations, Twenty years ago Manson ascer- ,
taincd that the parasite which caused clc antias
was carried by the MOSQUITO but no attempt /
was made till last year TO verify his work