The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-05-19
MALARIA AND MOSQUITOES.
Theory That the Insect Causes the
Disease Practically Established.
Beware the AnOpheIes!
From the Medical Record.


Disease Practically Established.
Beware the AnOpheIes!
From the Medical Record.
Malaria in it's several forms constitutes
perhaps the greatest obstacle to a success
tul colonization of the tropics. The ma
larial fevers are by far the most deadly
Of the tropical maladies in both white
man and native. Large parts of India are
devastated and rendered valueless by this
scourge, and immense tracts of land In
Africa and South America cannot be in
habiJed by the white race without almost
Inevitably fatal results. The problem of
the causation of malaria, which has been
the despair of scientists for generations,
would appear to be daily drawing nearer
and nearer to its final solution. The large
majority of scientific men throughout the
world have virtually accepted as decisive
the theory that it is mainly If not wholly
by the agency of the genius Anopheles,
of the mosquito family, that malarial few
ers originate and are spread. In fact by
many this is no longer looked upon as
theory, but doctrine
number of investigators have had
share in the discovery that the mosquito
plays an important part in causing and
lissenina ting malaria, but to Manson and
Ross is generally conceded the honor of
bringing the matter to its present advanc-
ed stage. Although Americans have not
specially distinguished themselves in these
Investigations, it should not be forgotten,
as was pointed out in the London Lancet,
Feb. II, 1899, that A. F. A. King, at the
meeting of the Philosophical Society of
Washington, d. c., held on Feb. 10, 1888,
read a paper entitled The Prevention of
Malarial Fevers,' in which he suggested
the likelihood of marsh fevers being pro-
duced by the bites of proboscidian insects,
notably in this and some other countries
by mosquito bites. This, we believe, was
the first occasion, upon which the theory
was publicly mooted.
Great activity is now being displayed in
Europe with the object of deciding the
question beyond cavil. For years the Ital-
ian investigators have been performing
splendid service in the endeavor to probe
the malaria mystery, and probably their
4 researches have done more toward its elu-
Cidation so far than has the work of anv
other school. Since the establishment CT
the two schools of tropical medicine in
Great Britain vivid and practical interest
has been taken in that country in the
diseases of the tropics in general, and of
malaria in particular. The British govern
ment, in CONJUNCTION with the Royal So
ce,y, first dispatched a scientific COM
mission to the west coast of Africa for the
i purpose of attempting to find the ma aria
II bearing mosquito and 10 locate its breed
ing places. Shortly after this the Liver
pool School of Tropical Medicine equipped
\ and sent out a its own expense an expedi-
ton under the leadership of Maj. Ross TO
the east coast with a similar end in view.
Maj. Ross and his coadjutors succeeded in
discovering the mosquito Anopheles claw
ger, and in few instances in determining
the situation of its breeding places. The
London School of Tropical Medicine, auth
a orzed by the British colonial office, has
Just sent two of its members, Drs. Sam
"a hon and Lowe, to the Roman Campagna
there TO conduct certain experiments
q which. if terminating favorably, should
convince the most skeptical that the mos
quito is the dominating factor in the caus-
a alton of malaria. II may be said that
q experiments of q like nature have already
been prosecuted by the Italians Cell and
Grassi with most satisfactory results.
II, then, it be taken as proved that ma
larla Is caused by mosquitoes-and the evil
q dence in support of this contention is so
81 strong as to appear almost unassailable-
aud When it is further considered that the
Isl malady is conveyed by but one species of
81 mosquito, it follows as a natural sequence
"a mat by wholesale destruction of the sin
ming insect the ravages of malaria will be
curtailed and perhaps in time altogether
ended
The Liverpool School of Tropical Medi-
cine has recently published a book en-
utled Instructions for the Prevention of
Malarial Fever, for the Use of Residents
IN Malarious Places" which concludes as
follows
Il All speculauons about air. about soil,
sDout malaria belts, and the like have
oeen rendered obsolete. There is no rea-
son to believe that the parasite of ma
iarla finds access to the human body
through any other channel than by
means of the Anopheles mosquito or that
gnats or mosquitoes which infest re-
Il glons free from malaria are examples of
u Ahopheles IF this particular insect could
We extirpated there is every justification
En- Tor the hope that malarious fevers would
disappear from the earth; and fortunate
FL ~ the extirpasion does not seem likely to
present any nsurmountable difficulty The
eggs are laid in water, and the larvae
"hen Matched live in water for about a
week before they assume the mosquito
FORM. AS larvae, like those of the com
,noh gnat, they rise 40 the surface 10
breathe, and a film of oil on the surface
speedily fatal to them by blocking up
helr air spiracles. Much may be done
" drying up pools in the vicinity of
houses or by treating them once a week
WIN a film of kerosene oil. Much may
We done also by killing the mature in
eVt When resting upon a wall after its
meal; and 1t is to be noted that the true
Auopheles rests with its body almost at
I.Sht angles 10 the surface of the wall.
"he che absolutely or comparatively
.arnless gnat rests with its body parallel
~ me wall or even somewhat inclining