New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-12-25
WARFARE on lfALARIA.

The place of honor in the latest issue Of
.rThe Medical Record" is occupied by an &C
count of some original experiments with the
perns Of maIarial fever. They were conduct
ed by United States Army surgeon ut Fort
Reno Oklahoma, Captain j. III. Ford, who de-
scr;bes them at great length. number or
rabbits were inocuated with the blood OF
human victims Of the tertian type OF fever,
and serum taken from those animals was EN-
pioyed in the treatment of several patients IN
the fort hospital. In five cases the first in
lection was without effect but a second one
seemed TO do a little good In two others in
oculation was followed by the formation OF
small assesses at the seat OF punctuie. A
single Dose much stronger than those tried
at first seemed to produce beneficial result
in the eighth and ninth cases but Captain
Ford does not regard his demonstration OF
the curative value Of bis serum complete. He
thinks that perhaps the product might serve
as preventive, If not as n remedy, but he Is
not yet able to adduce any significant teSti-
mony to that effect.
The truth is that Captain Ford has thus far
proved practically nothing, but his work GER
talnIy should be followed UP. One set Of tests
should be made to ascertain whether many
inoculatons of the rabbit would be better than
one. In the manufacture of the antitoxin
of diphtheria il is necessary to administer
number or successive uCSeS III OTueT 10 rem
der immune the animal being treated. Analogy
and precedent warrant a good deal of skept-
cism ms 70 the efficacy OF the serum secured by
Captain Ford. Again, one would like to see
score of people inoculated protecuvely with
this preparation and then bitten by infected
mosquitoes. 1t would then be possible TO Judge
of the correctness OF the opinion thar proven
ton by this means is practicable. much
more extensive Inquiry into the value Of the
serum used after the development of the
symptoms of the fever. Is also needed. Proba-
bly, no one is more keenly alive TO these facts
than Captain Ford himself He has under
taken an exceedingly important investigation.
deserves great credit for what he has already
done and should have every encouragement
from his SUperOrS and from professional Dreth-
ren in civil life in following the matter up.
Those who are familiar with other researches
Of this character will note the difference be-
tween the germs Of dphtherla and those Of
malarial fever. The former belong TO the veg
etable kingdom and the latter to the animal.
Ii by no means follows that the manner in
which protocol cause sickness IS the same as
that in which bacteria do Perhaps they Sc
crete a poison, and perhaps they do not. Again.
even if their methods of action were Identical.
nothing should be taken for granted about the
possibility of getting an antitoxin. The ba-
cilli OF diphtheria and tuberculosis are more
closely allied than the bacillus OF diphtheria
and the protOZoon OF malaria. and yet dupli-
cation Of the system followed in getting a
dlphthera antitoxin somehow fails to give enc
T 7 tuberculosis The germ Of malaria has been
identified beyond question, but it is almost
the only protozoon that has been suspected Of
causing disease Of which as much can be said.
Dr. DOyens treatment Of cancer Is based on
n supposed discovery of an organism low down
in the scale of animal life, but his opinions
are not generally accepted. Very little is yet
known about this group Of agents, and il IS
not yet feasible to lay down any general laws
concerning them. as has been done with bac-
terra However. if this fact compels the ply
stefan TO hesitate about expecting practical
result from Captain Ford's work it will en-
hance the glory of the latter should he event
udlly achieve success.
The day may come when serumS for the pre-
venton OF u variety Of human maladies will
have been perfected and come into common
use. Much the most satisfactory OF such inOcu-
latOns to-day are these employed against diph-
liberia, tetanus and smallpox With less Ger
bubouic plague, typhoid fever, cholera and I'm
animuls) tuberculosis. Malarial fever rarely
terminates fatally. Yet It is not only distress
Ing for the time being, but 1t sadly interferes
with the industry OF a community where it Is
prevalent. There are localities in the South
where from TO 10 per cent Of the residents
suffer from II every year. and In tropical coun-
tries the proportion is much greater. If any
effective way OF preventing an attack Of it
could be found. and If people could be induced
to adopt such means generally, the discovery
would prove q great blessing,
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