Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-07-07


of the cheap filters now on the market;
the milk which is drunk by children must
be steriized, and persons returning to the
city after contracting typhoid fever in
the country, must be disinfected with ut
most care. These three measures. sys-
tematically followed, will result in the
abolition OF TYPHOID fever within the city
boundaries. Is 4
so much for cities. In the country the
matter Is somewhat mote difficult and
immunity from malaria and typhoid de-
ponds largely upon the individual house.
holder. Such ,immunlty may be obtained
but only. as a result of intelligent care.
The old idea that malaria is caused by
breathing the miasma OF swamps has been
exploded. Malaria is contracted only
through the bites Of mosquitoes Of the
genus anopheles. The cause of human ma
laria is the growth and development with
in the red blood ce-.s of a very minute
parasitic organism belonging to the lowest
group of the animal kingdom-the group
PROTOCOL, or one-celled animals. which in
cludes those minute creatures known as
amoebas and others. and which live in
the water or in damp sands or moss. or
inside the bodies of other animals as par
asites. This parasite repFoduces in the
body by subdividing. eventually bursting
the red blood cells and entering the blood
serum as a mass OF spores.
so far as present knowledge goes, this
is the only way in which people become
malarious. In order to avoid this result
II is necessary to avoid the bites of mela-
rila mosquitoes. and IL therefore becomes
important to know the difference between
the malarial and the more harmless mos
.quitoes. and the conditions under which
the malarial forms breed.
Mosquitoes Which Transmit Malaria.
There are very-m many mosquitoes which
| 80 90
ease. In fact the majority OF mosquitoes
| are supposed to be harmless except for the
! irritation caused by their punctures. The
/ commonest OF all forms belong to the ge-
nus culex. These include the mosquitoes
/ most commonly breeding in rain-water
barrels and chance transient pools. 1t will
| be noticed that culex has clear wings
! while anopheles has wings which are
more or less spotted. Further, IT has been
| observed that when Culex is resting upon
| a wall II appears more or less hump
/ backed; that IS to say, the head and the
! beak are not in the same plane with the
body and wings, but project at an angle
| toward the surface of the wall, the body
and wings being parallel with the wall.
| With anopheles however, the head and
/ beak are in practically the same plane
with the body and the body itself is
usually placed at an angle with the wall,
and especially when resting upon hori-
zontal wall, such as the ceiilnB OF room,
1 the body OF anopheles is at a very great
/ angle with the surface. :
I'VE have in this country three species
of the malarial genus anopheles. Two are
] found nearly all over the country, but the
1 third Is a more southern species, although
II has been found as far north as the south
shore of Long Island. s...t.'
The breeding places of the harmless
mosquitoes are more numerous and more
varied than the. breeding places of the ma
larial mosquitoes. Anopheles, however
are found under many divers conditions.
They are found, as stated, in still side
pools of small streams in the swamp
pools at the margins Of. larger ponds,
in stagnant water in bitches. In the beds
of old canals. In the stiH water at le
sides OF springs; and occasionally. though
rarely, in old horse troughs. They are
perhaps more frequently found in such
situations as described when certain
amount OF green scum has accumulated,