The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1899-06-14
BATTLE OF TINY FOES.
Causes of Malaria and Life OF Its
MicrObe-HOw Mosquitoes Trans
NIT the Disease to Men.


world probably there would be no ma
laria. This is because malaria is caused
by a microbe which is carried about
from person to person by the mosquito.
In other words, malaria is blood dis
case, in that mosquitoes suck up the mi
crobes from the blood of one person
and then fly off and innoculate other
persons with those germs. Meantime,
the mosquitoes have malaria. Flies
transmit the germs of typhoid fever,
feas disseminate anthrax, and mosqui-
toes are the purveyors of the malaria
which cause elephantiasis, and of the
plasmodium which causes malaria.
The malaria germ propagates its spe-
cies by segmentation. Periodically
four days, according to the type of the
disease, the full-growG germ subdivides
and each division becomes a full
fedged microbe, with power to repro
Guce itself. All the germs-plasmodia,
as they are called-subdivide through
out the human body within some min
utes of one another. 1t is this that
causes the periodical chill in malaria
patients. In fact, when you see ma
larial patient undergoing his daily chill
YOU may know that millions of young
malaria germs are just breaking away
from the parent stem. The young germ
is in danger of being devoured by
Phagocytes in the blood. In fact,
great many are thus devoured. When
malaria is well advanced the number
of germs is SO much greater than the
number Of phagocytes that quite
enough are spared-to do damage.
When the augmentation at last is
complete, some wonderful process of
telegraphy, or perhaps the recognition
of the. germ itself of the end of the then
stage of its existence, gives what might
be called an intra-human signal and the
universal breaking away of the young
germs takes place. The process is re-
peated again and again, until the suf-
ferer dies or the growth of the germs
is checked by medical or other means.
But in describing the life of the germ
it has been assumed that it. existed
within the human body. HOW did it get
there? Undoubtedly air and water
transport the malaria germ, under GER
tain conditions, but there is far more
potent disseminating agent-the mos
quito,
While there can be no doubt that ma
laria in its several forms is the result
of microbe, it is yet evident that there
are conditions under which the germ
will not thrive. a dry atmosphere is
fatal to the germs of all diseases, and to
the malaria germ particularly. Ma
laria affects those who break the soil of
low ground, who sleep on or near the
earth, who battle in or drink stagnant
water. Soldiers fatigued by long
marches who camp amid enervating
surroundings are extremely liable to it.
Yet the disease may not show itself
until some time after the march, for the
reason that troops travelling in swampy
districts usually are allotted a daily
proportion of quinine, which after all
may merely deaden the effects of the
germ for the time being. This prob
ably was the reason so many soldiers
were 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 exists so also will
malaria-N. Y. Herald.