The Florida star., 1901-10-04
MOSQUITOES AND MALARIA.


gist of the New York board of health,
recently gave his views, as follows, on
the prevention and cure of malarial fever,
to the New York Journal:
Recent investigations have shown
that malarial fever belongs to that class
of diseases which require for their trans
mission the active Intervention of def
mite kind of mosquito, i. e., anOpheles.
This is not the common one of this reg
ion, but is, nevertheless, present in many
localities.
"The organism causing malarial fever
(Plamodium malariae) is probably a true
parasite, and, so far as We know at pres
ent, finds the conditions necessary for its
existence only in the living human body
and in this genus of mosquito, the latter
becoming infected by sucking the blood
from an infected human being.
''The malarial organism having thus
entered the stomach of the mosquito,
passes through certain changes in the
body of the infected insect, and at the
end of about ten days reaches the poison
gland. After this time, if the mosquito
bites another human being, the malarlal
organism is introduced into the circula-
ton of the latter and malarial fever fol-
lows.
$50 far as we know certain localities
are 'malarious' only because they furnish
favorable conditions for breeding this
mosquito. Malarial fever would not oc-
eur in any malarlous district unless some
infected human being were in it, or came
into il and infected the mosquitoes,
which in turn infected other human be-
ings.
"Recent observations in the intensely
malarial districts in Italy and Africa have
shown that even newcomers in these re-
glons who purpOsely expose themselves
by living in the most highly malarious
area, for example the Roman Campagna,
do not develop malarial fever, if they
are carefully protected from the bites Of
mosquitoes; and, further, it has been
shown that this disease may be produced
with certainty in any locality if mos
quito of the genus Anopheles is allowed
TO bite person suffering from malaria.
fever and then, after sufficient time, is
allowed to bite healthy person.
Certain simple precautions suffice to
protect persons living in malarial dis
tricts from infections:
'First-Proper screening of the house
TO prevent the entrance of the moSqui-
toes latter careful search for and destruc-
ton of all those already present in the
house), and screening of the bed at night
The chief danger of infection is at night,
inasmuch as the AnOpheles bite mostly
at this time.
''Second-The confinement and con-
tinuous screening of persons in malarial
districts who are suffering from malarial
fever, so that mosquitoes may not bite
them and thus become infected.
''ThiTd-The administration of quinine
in full doses to malarial patients to de-
stroy the malarial organisms in the blood
and persistence in the use of the remedy,
even for few weeks after apparent re-
cOveTy.
"FOurth-The removal of the breeding
places of the mosquitoes through drain
age, filling up of holes and surface pools,
and emptying of tubs, pals. etc, which
contain stagnant water. These mosqui-
toes particularly breed in surface rain
pools and surface stagnant water, where
there are 10 fish; also exceptionally in
pals, tubs, barrels and tanks of standing
water, though they seem mostly to prefer
natural accumulatiOns.
"Fifth-In pools which cannot be
drained or filled, the destruction of the
mosquito larvae by the use of petroleum
thrown upon the surface, or by the in
PRODUCTION of minnows and other small
fish which eat the larvae, or by both
methods.
These measures, if properly carried
out, will suffice greatly 10 restrict and
largely TO prevent the occurrence Of new
malarial infections.
at must be remembered that when a
person is once infected the organism may
remain in the body for many years, pro-
dncing from time to time relapses of the
fever.
"A case of malarial infection in a
house, whether the person is actively i'll
oT the infection is latent, in a locality
where the AnOpheles mosquitoes are
present, is a constant source of danger,
not only 10 the inmates of the hOnse, DuI
tn the immediate neighborhood, If proper
precautions art not taken"