Evening star., 1909-04-12
ITALY AND MALARIA
Osler Pays Tribute to Scien-
fists of Rome.
DISEASE COPIED WITH
Once as Deadly as Consumption, But
Constantly Reduced.
DISCOVERIES OF THE GERM
Laveran, Followed by Marchiafava
Cello and Golgi In Research.
Places Made Healthy.

Special Cablegram to The Star
ROME, April 12.-Dr. William Osicr.
who has been sojourning here. has written
an elaborate article on malaria, In which
he says:
I'VE owe much to the Italians for their
contributions to our knowledge Of the
cause Of malaria. Laveran's great dis
covery was promptly fatherod by Mar
chiafava and Cello and Golgi. and It was
through their writings that we obtained
the fullest details of the nature and
structure OF the malarial parasite.
LAS an old student Of the disease. and
deeply interested in the practical prob
lens of its prevention. one Of my first
visits in Rome was to the laboratories
from the directors. Marchiafava and
Cello. the progress Of the battle. II was
OF enough to know the cause: we had to
know how 1t worked before effective
measures could be taken. And the DEM
onstration by Ross of the transmission
of the disease by the mosquito at once
put malaria on the list Of easily prevent.
able infections.
"Just ten years ago the Italian Society
and 1 was able to get full report OF
the work.
Once Deeadly Disease.
Al 1IUI. SctlO lcCtuT0 rOOIu hangs tne
mortality chart of Italy for the past
twenty years. In 1887 malaria ranked
with tuberculosis, pneumonia and the in
testinal disorders of children as one Of
the great infections. killing In that year
Il .O33 persons. The chart shows a gradual
reduction in the death rate. and in 1905
only 4,S71 persons died of the disease, and
In 1907. AGO.
This remarkable result has been large
tx- IN ho MT
duced by the Italian Society II has long
been known that malaria disappears
spontaneously"
The fen country is now healthy: parts
OF Canada, about Lakes Ontario and
Erie. which were formerly hotbeds of the
disease. are now free.
This cannot be attributed altogether
to cultivation and drainage. | know
places on the shores of the lakes Just
mentioned In which the conditions today
are Identical with those which l remem-
Der as a boy
THE Desjardin canal marsh, at the ex-
treme western end Of Lake Ontario. was
a we'll known focus OF the disease The
marsh remains, the mosquitoes are there:
but case Of malaria is almost as rare
as in England.
The disappearance is largely due to
the free use of quinine. The settlers early
recognized the important fact that ma
laria was disease liable to recur, and
1t became a common practice to take
Peruvian bark every spring and autumn
for a year or two after an attack. This
is a point In prophylaxis which the work
OF the Italian society has brought into
prominence.
From the summary of the decennaf
report just issued the following para
graphs are OF interest:
The society has introduced into
practice the new mechanical meas
ures based on the defense OF the
habitatton and the individual from the
lively expensive procedure, the society
has occupied itself chiefly with the i'm
provement of the anti-plasmodic prophy-
laxis-the administration of quinine.
For this purpose 1t has promoted and
defended legislation for the gratuitous
distribution of auinine TO the poor and to
all workers in malarial localities.
" In order to render possible the
prophylaxis and to prolong the treatment
1t has prepared the quinine in its most
agreeable forms. namely. that Of oomfits
and chocolates. the latter containing ten
nate OF quinine which has little taste,
and is better tolerated by children.
Decrease of Mortality.
THE results have been that since 1902.
when the law on state auinine was pro-
mulgated, while the consumption of quiz
nine has been yearly increasing. the NOR
tality from malaria has diminished from
about 1900 to about 1000 yearly: and in
the army. custom house Offices. and in
some cummunes where the new laws have
been better applied. the morbidity from
malaria has greatly diminished
by those measures and by means OF
the agricultural and agrarfan transforma-
ton OF the land and colonization, rather
than by the destruction of mosquitoes. a
thing impossible to be done by us on A
large scale. Italy may be freed from the
scourge.
Malaria illustrates stages through
which SO many Of the great discoveries
in medicine have had to pass. At first
q period Of doubt that the actual germ
had been discovered seemed too good
news to be true. and for ten years or
more there was much. and perhaps justi-
fable. skepticism. Except for the great
help in diagnosis we did not get much
further until 1898. when the experiments
Of Poss demonstrated the truth OF the
old suggestion Of Lancisi (revived by King
and by Mansion) that the disease was
by the mosquito.
And now we are in the stage OF pre-
practical application Of the
knowledge of the cause Of the method
OF its action. The anti-malarial crusades
initiated by Ross have had an extraor-
binary success. and nowhere more than
in Italy, in the hands Of the national So
ciety. to whose good york 1t is pleasure
= GU @''sn'''A- s1uIAaA.G -.