The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-05-10
X : \ =
The Story of Malaria in Maur..t;

The london Lancet.

The recent reports of Professor
Ronald Ross and Major c. E. P. Fow-
Ter, R. A. C. NJ. on malaria in Maui
ritious furnish an interesting chapter
in the history of that disease and give
a striking illustration of the applica-
ton of modern methods to the seien-
cine. In 1907 Lord Elgin, at that time
H. NJ Secretary of State for the Col
| onies, requested Professor Ross to pro-
coed to Mauritius to inquire into the
| circumstances associated with the con-
! tinued endemic presence, and the
| threat tened epidemic prevalence, of
malarial fever in that colony, and to
| advise the local government and their
| officials as to the most appropriate
measures which should be employed.
| Major Fowler was at the same time
instructed by the Director General of
the Army Medical Department to sail
! fer Mauritius to assist Professor Ross
| in his Investigations. Their joint in
! quiry lasted .some three months and
| their respective reports give a graphic
| account of the commencement Of the
malarial prevalence in the island. For
many years after the European occu-
patton Maurtius continued to enjoy
complete freedom from the manifesto
tons of endemic malaria. and was, in
| fact. used as a health station by many
| conyalescents' who had been debili-
tated by the ravages of this or other
| tropical diseases in neighborfNg coun-
tries Notwithstanding this freedom
from endemic malaria. it was well rec
| ognized that in the island there ex-
| listed all the conditions usually asso-
ciated with the occurrence of the dis
ease, including considerable areas
along the low-iying littoral occupied
by swamps ana marshes, as also in
land streams and watercourses OBJ
structed by the exuberant growth of
tropical vegetation, forming ideal
breeding-grounds for mosquitoes of all
kinds Though these breeding grounds
were infested by mosquitoes, none of
the native species appeared to have
been capable of transmitting malaria
IT has to be noted in this connection
that for a series of years not only
. had convalescent European nlalariai
, patients been visiting Mauritius, but
large numbers of coolies had been
faceking into the colony, finding work
in the numerous sugar plantations in
the island. Many of these cpo1ies it
| is admitted. came from malarial dis
] tricts in India, and some of them had
| previously suffered from attacks Of
1 that disease 1t would therefore have
/ been possible for malaria-transmittin
| mosquitoes, if such had been present,
| tf. obtain plentiful supply of the
| speific parasites from the blood of
such persons, and in this way to have
disseminated the disease
Until 1866 or 1866 all went well, blu;
at this time there seems to have ar
rived in Mauritius dangerous
anopheline, the Pyretophorus costalis
native of the East Coast of Africa
1t is surmised that some specimens
of this mosquito arrived, stowaways
as it were, concealed on board some
sailing ship. The conditions which
the newcomers found on their arriva
in Mauritius We're so favorable t.
them that in a short time they in
creased and multiplied exceedingly
II The presence in the island of mum
Ter of Indian coolies who had former.
1y suffered from attacks of malaria
fever and in whose blood existed the
special parasites of the disease, sooT
enabled these African anophelines tt
- commence the transmission of the in
lection on q. large scale. So rapid, in
deed, was the transmission that il
4 1867 a terrible epidemic was raging
4 over the whole island, devastating al
4 most every district. The official &C
\ counts give the number of deaths
\ which resulted from the epidemic o
malarial fever in 1S67-6S as amounting
to $4,000 in an estimated population
of about 350000. Other accounts place
the mortality even higher than this
\ some persons asserting that at leas
10000 souls persisted in the two years
during which the epidemic lasted S.
sudden and so virulent was the out
j break and so appalling was the NOR
III tality that some observers regarded
the current malady as likely to hav
: been cholera or plague rather thai
- nalarial fever After this epdemi
= qutburst malaria became endemic il
81 Mauritius, more particularly in tn
H low-lying localities along the coast
In more recent years the malady ha
been showing signs of extension land
a ward. and cases have been occurring
= even in the more elevated regious pre-
= viously regarded as being perfect.
safe from the disease, and some vii
: lagos and encampments situated 100
u feet or more above the sea level hav
/ been invaded. In 1906 grave fears be
gan to be entertained, owing to TIL
Il increased number of cases of malaria
fever coming under observation, tina
another serious epidemic like that o
III 1867 -6S was impending. 1t was in thes
circumstances that outside aid wa
| sought and resulted IN the dispatch o
| Professor Ross and Major Fowler t
the colony. In their reports these tW
1 experts make it quite clear that tn
Pyretophorus costais is the transmit
1 ter of malaria in Mauritius and tina
unless its breeding grounds are de
iii stroyed this mosquito will continue t
exist in such numbers as to injure Sc
riousIy the health of the popula tion
For this reason extensive schemes 70
L, draining sWamps and marshes vii