Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-07
CURE FOR MALARIA.
Darkness is the Latest Theory to Be
Advanced.

From the Scientific American.
We have light cures for various diseases
but for malaria, it would appear, we must
go to the opposite extreme and withdraw
all light. This suggestion Is based on a
plausible theory advanced by Dr. A. F. A.
King Of New York.
The demonstration of the plasmodium
as the vera causa of malarial fevers, and
the successive sporulations Of the para
sites as the exciting cause of paroxysms,
have exploded many popular and traditional
beliefs and have explained those that eX-
perience has established as to the condi-
lions under which these diseases prevail
and the means by which they may be pre-
vented, as being simply such as are most
favorable to the multiplication of the Ano-
phees and such tend to it's eXtermina-
ton. But there are still some facts hith-
erto unexplained pointing to conditions con-
nected with solar phenomena, and not I'M
naturally ascribed to the suns heat as the
most obvious and palpable Of these. But it
is not easy to imagine how the parasite
can be influenced by external temperatures,
which is not affected thereby. the pyrexia
of the paroxysm being the effect, not the
cause, of its intermittent activity.
DR.. King puts forward ingenious sug-
gestion that the actual factor in question
Is the light, not the heat, Of the sun. and
that the relative immunity of the very dark
and black races of man Is due to the lesser
translucency of their skins. Cell and Tao
chini had noticed that the years in which
the fevers were most severe in Italy were
by no means the hottest, though the num-
Der of cloudless days was above the aver
age. Jackson remarked that In Jamaica
camp over which a fog hung all day suf
fered less than did those apparently better
situated, and the beneficial effects of sew
eral days of heavy rain have often been
noticed. Flint states that paroxysms very
Dtx at iOh md 10 ty,cr
some hours alter each successive day, when
they fall after dark they are usually de-
ferred to the following morning, when they
may sometimes be avoided by the patient
lying in bed through the day. The expert
ments Of Harrington and Leaning on the
common ameba lend considerable support
to this hypothesis, for they found that the
ameba 'tstreamed' under the influence to
bright sunshine, but still more actively
when exposed to red light whereas the
process was arrested in the darkness and
was completely inhibited by the violet and
ultra violet rays. Since the skin of all but
the blacklist races and especially that of
white men, Is more or less translucent, 1t
Is evident that blood parasites may be sus-
ceptible to the influence Of the light of the
sun, though protected by the constant heat
of the body from that of external tempera-
ture, and that 1t is chiefly the red rays that
can reach them through the medium OF the
blood.
Until 1t shall have been proved that the
blood of the negro is darker than Is that of
the white man, and that the color of the
latter can be perceptibly altered by prac-
ticable dosage with methyl blue or can be
made fuorescent by the administration of
oufnine. we must forbear following DR..
King in his speculations on these points;
but we think that he has made out a fair
case for his light theory, and for the trial
of what may be called "scototherapy" IN
the treatment Of malarial fevers-that Is
Of keeping the patient In dark room. and
in the intervals between the attacks of
clothing him in garments with Innings i'm
penet rable by light.