The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-08-04
Mosquitoes and Malaria,

ID OSQultO ana malaria,
TIC the Editor: The most prevalent
disease in North Carolina, certainly
from now until fall, is malarial fever
in one form or another. 1t is by no
means confined to the low lying eastern
section of the State, but is quite abund-
ant in many localities in the hill coun-
try, 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 plas-
medium 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, en-.
tiers a red corpuscle and, feeding on it's
contents, grows until at the end of
twenty four hours it has become near
ly as large as the cOrpuscle. 1t then,
by process known as augmentation,
splits up into a dozen or more little
spores again, which for a short time are
free in the blood and unattached to the
corpuscles. 1t is just as the segmenta-
ton occurs that the chill comes on,
which explains the periodic recurrence
of the chill 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 corpus
cles, the best time to give quinine is
just before the chill is expected.
The method of introduction of the
malarial poison. the plasmodium, GER
tainly the chief method, has been dem
onstrated beyond all question to be the
sting of certain variety of mosquito
known as anopheles the common mos
quito, which while more aboundant is
innocent as, a 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
enemy, will only breed in stagnant
pools in which there is a certain amount
of vegetable matter especially II there
are no fish, such as top minnows or sun
perch, which feed upon the larvae of
wiggletails. This explains the fact that
malaria is much more abundant after
freshets, in the course of which the
stream, getting out of it's 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 excep
tional year of freshets than usual. 1t
also explains the danger of brick holes.
The larvae, or wiggletails, as we gen.
orally call them, are the young mos
quitoes. Although they live in the
water from the time they are Matched
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 tail and
which they stick out of the top of the
water when they want air. The bear
ing of this arrangement on their de-
struction will appear later.
There is popular misapprehensioni in
regard to the movement of mosquitoes.
The general impression is that they are
carried by the wind. and people at the
seaside say that a land breeze brings
mosquitoes. 1t is fact that they are
more abundant when the breeze is from
the land or in a 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 sim
ply come out again from the trees and
! shrubbery and the lea side Of houses
where they had taken refuge from the
strong sea breeze which was too rough
for their fragile bodies. With rare ex-
ceptions they travel. it is said. seldom
, more than mile, and generally not SO
far. When one is troubled with mos
qutoes a careful search will almost
/ always reveal stagnant water in the
/ near vicinity.
The destruction of mosquitoes and the
consequent prevention Of malaria is ac-
complished 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 cover
ed with petroleum, what is known as
| light fuel oil, or even the crude petrol
cum being better and cheaper than or
binary Kerosene. The film of oil pre-
vents the larvae from breathing and
smothers them. The quantity necessary
lis one ounce or two tablespoonfuls to
every fifteen square feet of surface, re-
peated every two weeks. This oil
i'method was employed with great sue
cess last year by the city of Winches
ter, Va, and our town of Tarboro has
recently shown a most commendable
/ spirit of enterprise in adopting it. Some
!, care and little expense in securing
protection against mosquitoes and in
providing supply of pure drinking
water will practically insure against
malaria.
To those interested in this subject I
/. cordially commend very interesting
and valuable book on mosquitoes writ
| ten in Donular and entertainine stvle
1 bv DR.. l.. 0. Howard the Chief Fntom
! ologist of the United States. and nub-
lished by Mcclure. Phillips & Co. New
York at cost Of $1.64 postpaid
RICHARD ri. LEWIS, M. D.,
Secretary State Board of Health