The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-10-07
MOSQUITOES ARE GUILTY.
EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE mi DIS
T~RIBUTORS OF MALARIA GERMS.
The Dangerous Experiment OF Physicians IN
Living In the Most Unhealthy Place IN the
world Proving Successful They Avoid
Mosquito Bites and Have No Fever.

iNfNbDNf bflNH 80 N"N '"F
nounced that an experiment was TO be made
under the auspices Of the British Colonial ONCE
to test the truth Of the mosquito theory OF ma
laria. Acting under the advice Of Or. Manson
and the Council OF the London School OF
Tropical Medicine, Mr.. Chamberlain. the
Colonial Secretary. consented TO provide a
mosquito-proof hut 10 be set up in the worst
part Of the Roman Campagna, A spot was
selected near Ostia, In a part Of the Campagna
which ls 80 infested by malaria that no one
who spends a night there under ordinary con-
ditions escapes the effects OF the poison. Drs
Sambon and Low OF the School Of Tropical
Medicine. and Signor Terri, an Italian artlS''
with two Italian servants. entered upon their
residence in the mosqulto-proof hut in june
Since then they have been az liberty 20 go
where they like during the day. a. the mos
quitoes only feed during the night. but from
an hour before sunset 10 an hour after sum
rise they have remained In the hut. They
take no Quinine or other drug which might
be regarded "a n prophylactic. 1nasmuch as
the "malarial" season will not be over for an
other six weeks the experiment Ia not yet fin
ished. The omens for success. however, are
propitious.
4 rumor having been circulated in Italy
that the experiment had proved a failure the
British Medical Journal made inquiries at the
school Of Tropical Medicine. At its instance
the tenants Of the mosQuito-proof hut were
visited on Sept IL by Prof Grassi, who was
accompanied by Doctors Voc and Foa, his as
~siStant. by Prof Rossi Of Cagliari and by DR.
] Xupitza. assistant 10 Prof Noeht at the Ham
burgh School Of Tropical Medicine The result
was the following telegram 10 Or Manson:
Assembled In British mosquito-proof hut. and
having verified perfect health Of e1perimenters
,,,,l ,ularIn-atri,s an irluhitanlS Italian
doctors salute Manson. who first formulated
mosquito-malariai theory -GRAssI
Commenting upon this the British Medical
journal says, We may now, With az much
confidence a. the uncertainty Of human things
warrants. look forward 10 a successful COM
pletion Of this important experiment
II Is clear that II the formula, No mosquito
no malaria, does not contain the whole truth
Of the matter. II may for practical purposes
be- taken as a guiding principle by coloniss
and pioneers in tropical climes
What may be regarded for practical purposes
as an experiment of the same kind rs that not
vet completed In the Roman Campagna Is
now being conducted In West Africa Or
Elliott. "A member Of the Liverpool expedition
sent 20 Nigeria soma time ago to investigate
the subject Of malarial fever. has recently
returned to England lie reports that the
lINb : " Nv ' AAAA'AA lAhN A''f' 'A'''NA
well. although they have spent four months
IN some Of the most malArious spots. They
lived practically among marshes and other
| places supposed to be the most deadly. They
have not kept the fever of by the use OF quin-
inc. and they attribute their immunity to the
I careful use Of mosquito nets az night
A. a compliment 10 the preventive eI peri-
ments In the Campagna II was arranged that
attempts should be made 10 prove that ma
laria would be contracted by perfectly healthy
7 person. who had never entered a "malarious"
locality. II he were bitten by mosquitoes brought
thence Mosquitoes raised from the esq
I'm n laboratory, which had had no pre-
v,ous opportunity Of obtaining fever para
sites. were to be fed In Rome on patients in
whose blood the parasites ~ tertian agle were
ascertained by the microscope 70 be present.
The insects were then to be sent to London
and fed on vegetable juices until proper time
had been given for the fever germs TO reach
their venom glands They were then to be
liberated In a small mosquito house In which
one or more healthy Enelishmen, who had
never been in a malarious country,
were asleep. In pursuance OF this
programme three patches Of anopheles were
fed in Rome 10y Or BastianelN on three sepa-
rate patients suffering from tertian fever,
and were forwarded in cages 10 the London
School Of Tropical Medicine DR.. Manson.
son. Mr. + T. Manson. consented To be the
subject Of the experiment. and was bitten
every second day by the insects until they
died. usually abou, ten days after their arrival
in London The first batch was fed In London
In the first and second weeks Of July. the second
nj the end Of August, and the last during the
second week Of this month Mr. Manson
remained In perfect health until the morning
. A., ,o,k int uhon ha at,dtaply- at
tackled by headache, bone ache. lassitude and
loss NJ appetite. with rise of temperature N
iO2 degrees on the 18th there was a dis
tinct intermission during the forenoon. High
fever. with temperature ~ la degrees, set In
| about p VI, with delirium. and was relieved
during the night by profuse perspiratlon.
The same 4ertes ~ events REQUIRED on the
10th, and on tho morning Of the 18th tertian
parasites were found in his blood Tho nature
Of the illness was verified, and the parasites
we're seen. not only by DR.. Manson himself.
but by several other competent observers.
among whom were Or Frederic Taylor. Mr..
Watson Cheyne, 3 X s.; Lieut.-Col. Baker.
1. NJ. S; Or Galloway, Mr.. James Camille and
Or. Oswald Brown.
Mr.. Msnson's fever Is considered TO be due
probably 20 the mosquitoes which BIT him In
August The delay in the appearance Of the
] ~ Alll'''lliH ma AhN' '''h W '''A'A W AlO
! condition ~ the insects which first attacked
him or more probably 10 the need for some
lapse Of time after tho parasites were intro
? duced into his blood before they had multiplied
sufficiently TO become effective causes 81 fever.
Mr.. Manson Is not likely 10 sustain any perma-
nent injury or inconvenience from his plucky
experiment. The tertlNn parasite Il not vtri-
lent. and Is easily killed by quinine. This
has been administered, and Mr.. Manson has
had no subsequent recurrence OF fever. although
n few parasites can be still detected In his blood.
The Times. in discussing the matter. says:
Tho practical outcome OF these eIperiments
promises 10 be a great public advantage. The
first consequence Of them. in all probability. viii
be the restoration Of the Roman CampaRna 10
the healthiness and the fertility which II onoe
possessed. The King and Queen Of Italy have
taken great interest In the hut experiment, and
have been kept fully informed Of all that has
been done. The experience Of the English fen
districts shows thatthe ague-carrying anopheles
disappear before drainage and cultivation; and
when il has once been shown that cult
walton can he securely practisad under
a condition no more onerous than that OF sleep
iEg in a mosquito proof hut there can be no
Doubt TINT Italian capital and enterprise