The Washington times., 1903-05-04

attended by 7,o0O physicians, was unu-
suaIly brilliant, the Medical News" of
May says:
The congress was such a kaleido
scopic affair that it was impossible TO
present all of its many features. but
from the reports received the three sa
Iient features of the congress which
marked the progress of the last few
years were the research work recently
done in cancer and the general tendency
toward certain treatment of consump-
ton
The section which discussed the sub
ject of malaria was largely attended,
as men OF fame in the recent discoveries
concerning the transmission of malaria
by mosquitoes we're present and spoke
on the subject. Spanish physicians
claim that Grassi, of Italy, and not Ron
aid Ross, of England, was the real dis
coverer of the fact that malaria was
transmitted from enc person to another
by mosquitoes, which first bit a sufferer
| then developed in their own bodies
upon biting a healthy person, would
| transmit the disease to him. They
| brought out the fact that the recurrence
of malarial attacks at times when mos
| quitoes are not present to transmit the
parasites is due TO continuous cycle of
development of the germs in the human
body, which bridges over successive cpl
| denies. Certain forms of the parasite
seek the internal organs during the dis
ease. and, as it were, lie in wait for the
young mosquitoes of the next season
| These, as soon as they are infected are
| ready to produce a crop of the estivo-
autumnal parasite, as they call the fall
malaria of the Roman Campagna and
other countries subject to this particu-
! lar form of the disease.
"Dr. Ascoli, of Rome, reported that
malaria in epidemic form often appeared
in Italy in June. Notwithstanding the fact
! that at this time there could but be few
! infected mosquitoes. Most of these pa
| tients showed. however, an antecedent
malarial history, proving, he thought, the
| fact that the recurring attacks within
| the individual were what kept malaria
in readiness to infect the young mosqui-
| toes. The general consensus of opinion
| at the congress was that the wholesale
! slaughter of mosquitoes was rather
| expensive and inefficacious method OF
disposing of malaria. Notwithstanding
the fact that ii might make life more
| tolerable to those who live in mosquito
| infested countries. 1t was decided that
| the best way TO eliminate malariaI infec-
| ton was to screen every patient by mos
] quito netting, in order to prevent the
mosquitoes injecting themselves. Inas-
much as the individual cases suffering
from malaria can be better looked after
and taken care of than can the mosqui
! toes of the woods and streams, this
| method. il followed as thoroughly and
carefully as isolation is observed in
smallpox would soon limit the transmits
sion of the disease and render epidemics
| in low mosquito breeding lands almost
unknown
Or. Hauser. of Madrid. said that Ano-
| pheles did not furnish the only interme-
date host for the parasite. The germ
might live in humid earth under favor
! able conditions and the germ might
| flourish in regions free from mosquitoes.
| The inhalation from dried marshes. or
| the drinking of water infected by the
! bodies of dead mosquitoes, could infect.
and mosquitoes dying in marshes set
free the organism which infects man
! through the medium of the air
1T was earnestly hoped that at this
| congress some definite knowledge of the
| cause of cancer might have been obtain
! ed. In spite of the large amount of
work that has been done in research
! laboratories concerning the cause of
| this disease. medical men still cling 20
| two opposing theories and are, as here
tofore, about evenly divided in their
| opinions.
Some hold that cancer is due to
! parasitic infection. and various papers
at the congress gave the reasons which
their authors held for maintaining sucn
| views as the result of the laboratory
work, while an equal number still held
| that cancer IS due TO a degeneratiVe
process of the tissue. due TO some I'M
known morbid condition. But. although
nothing has as yet been decided which
! gives a clue to the source of the dis
| ease, the fact of the widespread inter-
! est in il and he stimulation of the va
rious reports led those who are inter
! ested to hope that discovery of the true
cause would be the brilliant feature OF
some congress in the near future.
1T is but a few years since the dis
coverer of the cause of tuberculosis has
revolutioniZed the various treatments of
! that disease, and II is interesting to
| note that at this congress the general
! trend of opinion was that treatment
/ should be directed not so much against
the tubercle bacillus as toward the gen
! eral upbuilding of the patient After
! Koch's discovery the general tendency
was toward the use of germicides, in
halations, and all sorts of means which
might render the bacillus tuberculosis
! innoeuous. Now the theory is that the
healthy body can overcome these germs
and slay them by its own physiological
action therefore there is a decided ten
dency among specialists of tuberculosis
to devote every energy to systematically
and scientifically building up the gen
eral health of the patient, believing that
this affords the surer hope of recovery.
The various mel lads of living n