The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-09-22

have made personal and very thorough in
Ncstigations into this subject.
With the life history Of the mosquito
studied as It has been, the theory thai the
mosquito Is the only agent in transmitting
malaria is believed to he scientifically
proved. The only difficulty has been to eX-
plain the conditions under which mHlaWa
appears when large public works are I'M
ments huilt. or drinking water and sewer
age introduced. Here there is simply The
overturning Of the soil on which the cpl
demic of malaria follows. The old theory,
says Dr. Smith that the malarial organism
lives In the soil for untold ages until II
Is turned up. Is utterly ridiculous and can
not longer he entertained. so that the queS-
ton arises as to how II Is possible To ac-
count for malaria appearing under such CIR
oumstanccs For undoubtedly il nearly al
ways does appear. DR.. Smith answers the
question thus
There are several conditions that we
should take into account. In the first
place, all such work involves the tenn
rcrary formation of Inequalities OF the
shedding of the water from the soil, and
the consequent formation of puddleS In
which mosquitoes may breed. Then IN the
economic conditions which prevail TO-DAY
II has been customary, in order to get
work done, TO import laborers in large
numbers from different places and TO keep
them near the work, and this mas given
rise TO the formation Of laborers camps.
These camps have generally been near Il
source OF water, because proximity to
water was necessity for camp me.
Sometimes this water was running some
times Ii was stagnant Then thlrd con
diton was the Introduction of individuals
who had probably been through a number
OF malarial epidemcs in other parts oil
the country where they had been at wofk,
or who were brought from other countries
where malaria Is endemic In all It's forms.
We have, then, the very conditions that
are necessary to produce malaria. we
have the infected individual, we have an
opportunity for the mosquito 10 breed. ana
we bring the Infected Individual In close
contact with the breeding grounds OF tne
MOSQUITO. ! think that these facts are
suficient. 10 explain, In accordance with our
present theory OF malaria, the existence
OF malaria under conditions such as have
described 40
methods Inv which malaria can be sup
pressed In Africa and in ASIA, wner'
malaria Is the great enemy 10 the extern.
sion OF European empire, the suppFesS,,iui
81 malarn seems TO him 10 he queStlonapls
hut In n climate like that Of Mussachuseli :
| IN should be entirely impossible, IN ms
opinion. TO eradicate or 10 suppress IL ~. -
! see that II does not assume ePiiuvn,,o
| forms such MS have prevailed occasionally
IN the immediatc past. the things 10 nt
! done are threefold; an endeaVor, IN IN.
| first place. TO rid the nelghoVrn,u" 'st, NJ
mosquitoes; secondly TO p roteigt, luui and "a
! lastly 10 nrotect those sick from ma
| hilfa from the bites of mosquitoes, 70 Pre-
Vent. In the siclroom, the dissemlha l l...e
Of Infected mosquitoes, ana 70 ''e"' O'''N
1 fully all ca ses subject 10 relapse al
DR. Smith points out that the use OF 81,
on stagnant pools is a palliative. not 70 on. %
compared with drainage, when psIi,.,i.aiiy
| however. he does not pay much attentl9l
10 the claim that when kerosene , rsss
upon puddles 10 destroy the mosqnlto "a" ~, s.t
| "a win Kerosene that when they ny nv
| The LINN III night they become ignlle9 an. !.
are converted Into dangerous sparks hao''