The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1901-08-15
MALARIA AND MOSQUITOES.
Some Valuable Expert Information
r1ade Public.

| to the low lying Eastern section OF the
State, but is quite abundant in many
localities in the hill country, having
been reported even from Cherokee.
BY recent scientific investigations
the cause of the fever has been shown
to be microscopic animal known as
| the plasmodium malariae or hem
amoeba vivax, which feeds upon the
red corpuscles of the blood-hence the
pallor, of persons suffering from
chronic malaria. The development
of this little parasite in the blood is
as follows: One of the spores, or baby
germs, so to speak, enters a red cor
puscle and, feeding on its contents,
grows until at the end Of twenty-four
hours it has become nearly as large
as the corpuscle. 1t then, by pro-
cess known as segmentation, splits up
into a dozen or more little spores
| again, which for a short time are .Tse
in the blood and unattached to the cor
puscles. 1t is just as the segmenta-
| ton occurs that the chill comes on,
which explains the periodic recurrence
of the ckill every twenty-four hours.
and as it has been found that quinine
Is most effective in killing the germs
while they are free in the blood and
not buried in the substance of the
corpuscles, the best time to give
quinine is just before the chill is eT-
| pected.
The method of the introduction OF
| the malarial poison, the plasmodium.
certainly the chief method, has been
demonstrated beyond all question to
be the sting of a certain variety OF
mosquito known as anopheles, the
common mosquito, which while more
abundant is innocent as carrier OF
disease, being known as culex. The
latter species will breed in still water
of any kind, no matter how pure, but
the former, our ehemy, will only breed
in stagnant pools in which there is
certain amount Of vegetable matter,
especially if there are no fish, such as
top minnows or sun-perch, which feed
upon the larvae or wiggletails. This
| explains the fact that malaria is much
more abundant after freshets, in the
course of which the stream, getting
out of its banks, washes holes in the
ground, and speedily falling leaves
there stagnant pools with few or no
fish in them. Mosquitoes are very
much more abundant this exceptional
wear of freshets than usual. 1t also
explains the danger of brick holes.
The larvae, or wiggletails, as we
generally call them, are the young
mosquitoes. Although they live in the
| water from the time they are hatched
from the eggs which were laid on the
surface until they reach maturity they
cannot live without air-they must
breathe Contrary to the general rule.
they breathe wrong end foremost -
through a long breathing tube which
springs from the body near the tall
and which they stick out Of the top OF
the water when they want air. Inc
bearing of this arrangement on their
destruction will appear later.
There is q popular misapprehenslon
IN regard to the movement Of mos.
ouitoes. The general impression is
that they are carried by the wind, and
,eople at the seaside say that lana
breeze brings mosquitoes. IL Is Iact
that they are more abundant when
the breeze is from the land or IN
calm. but according to those who
know best the fact probably is not that
they are blown from the swamps TO
landward, but that they simply come
out again from the trees and shruo-
| berry and the lea side OF houses wnere
they had taken refuge from the strong
sea breeze which was too rougn lot
their fragile bodies. With rare eX'
ceptions they travel it is said seldom
more than a mile and generally not
so Ear. When one is troubled VIVA
MOSQUITOES q careful search will al
most always reveal stagnant water IN
the near vicinity.
The destruction of mosquitoes and
the consequent prevention Of malaria
is accomplished in two ways: First
and best, by the thorough drainage OF
all stagnant pools OF water, and
second, by keeping the surface OF
such pools covered with petroleum,
what is known as light fuel Oil, or
even the crude petroleum being bet
ter and cheaper than ordinary kero'
sene. The film Of oil prevents the
larvae from breathing and smoth@T
them. TIE quantity necessary is ole
ounce or two tablespoonfuls to every
fifteen square feet of surface. re.
heated every two weeks. This OIL
method was employed with great sue
= ...o. h,r city of Min.