The Yale expositor., 1900-06-01

killed more people off by malaria
every year than cholera or bubonic
plague or any Of the other scourgeS,
except consumption. The theory has
been proven to the satisfaction Of
most men Of science; but the govern
ment wanted to make the proof so
thorough and popular that every one
could be sure of 1t and make use OF 1t.
Hence this final demonstration.
The first step was to find the dead
Hest Inhabited place on the globe.
That proved to be the Roman Cam
pagna, where no man can stay on a
summer night without contractig ma
laria. Then, from the London School
OF Tropical Medicine, recently estab-
lished by the colonial office, two vol
unteers were chosen for the mission
DR.. Sambon and DR.. Lowe. And
the final step was to build mosquito
proof house, which the men could take
with them, and in which they will stay
in the hours when the notwithstanding
mosquitoes are about. II the men can
manage to live and keep their health,
the case against the mosquito will be
considered complete and the govern
ment will set about prosecuting the
pest throughout British dominion.
The Campagna is a stretch of low
country some seven miles from Rome,
and known to all experts on the sub
ject OF disease as the deadliest spot In
the world. 1t consists of a rolling
waste of barren soil, dotted with oc-
casional patches Of stubbble and with
pools of stsgnant water that comes
from the mountains and volcanic hills
round about. Here mosquitoes abound.
To compare the mortality of the Cam
pagna with that of other unhealthy
places in the world is difficult, because
It is practically uninhabited. In the
hills live a poor race of folk who
raise cattle, ard these men come down
to the Campagna in the spring and
plant crops. 1t is when they return
in the fall to reap their harvest, not
a rich one, that they contract the ma
larla that kills them off in shoals.
The two doctors who are to be ex-
perimented upon will not be allowed
to take quinine or other precautions
against illness-only against mos
quitoes. They will mix freely with
the people in the Campagna,practically
all Of whom have malaria fever. In
Italy 100000 suffer from the disease
every year, and OF these $4,000 die.
In the center of this delectable local
ity the two volunteers will settle
down.
1t is realized that even though the
men come out in health after six
months in the wretched place some
people will say that they shut out
some other cause of malaria in guard
ing against the mosquito. So they
will make another test. They Will
get some mosquitoes eggs and raise
insects from them. When they are
fully grown. so or 40 of them will be
allowed to bite a malaria patient
one suffering from only mild form
Of the disease Then these insects
will be fed on vegetable matter until
the germ has been nurtured in their
bodies, and they will be sent by mail
to England. There is no malaria
there. The mosquitoes will arrive
hungry, and will be set free In room
where there will be sleeping several
students who have never been out of
England. II those students actually
show symptoms OF the disease, the ar
gument will be proved beyond quib-
bic. The light form of fever that they
viii exhibit can easily be cured with
quinine.
Not long ago table was prepared
showing the invading and deaths In