Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1913-08-19
CHRONIC MALARIA
AND ITS CAUSES
Malariai Parasites often Remain In
the Body When Patient Is
Apparently Cured.

| Georgia walking around with malaria,
who do not know they have it. They
have had all the symptoms of malaria
one or more times, and when the symp-
toms are eliminated they think them
selves cured They attribute the re-
curing attacks to a fresh infection,
whereas the cause is really within
themselves.
This is known as chronic malaria,
in which the patient retains within his
body dormant elements of the dis
ease; when these become active, as
they may do at any time, all the symp-
toms of the disease again appear, and
the patient has an acute attack.
| The causes of, and the methods of
treating, chronic malaria are now well
understood. The discovery of the ma
larial parasite has resulted in the
clearing up of practically everything
that was formerly obscure in connec.
/
ton with malaria. Not only did this
discovery bring knowledge of the
means of transmission of the disease,
but further investigation has clearly
shown how chronic malaria is produc-
ed and why it is that quinine fails to
| relieve it.
few days after a man becomes
inoculated with malaria, through the
bite OF an infected anopheles mosquito,
two varieties of parasites are found in
the blood. One of these is the ordi-
nary chill-producing parasite, which is
effectually killed by quinine; the 9TH
er is the sexual form of the parasite
and is in no way affected by that drug.
May Garry Them for Years.
These sexual forms of the parasite,
male and female, circulate in the blood
for months and, possibly, years, simply
waiting for the anopheles mosquito to
suck them out; then, within the body
or the mosquito, the union is formed
between the male and female para
sites, and the production of the many
young embarrassing malarial parasites
1olloWs; then these young parasites
are injected into the blood of a man,
when the mosquito bites, and an acute
attack of malaria follows.
The anopheles mosquito which is
the sole conveyor of the malarial par.
asite, has been described in a former
article. Resting with it's body almost
at right angles to the surface to which
it attaches itself, it is easily distin
guishable from the common form OF
mosquito, whose bent body, in rest, is
almost parallel to the surface on
which it alights When it bites ii
injects the chill-producing parasite
into the blood. Each of these para
sites attacks a red blood corpuscle
and soon divides into from seven to
twenty-five chill-producing parasites
and each of these, in turn, attacks an.
other red blood cell. This process goes
on until, within a comparatively short
time, a sufficient number of parasites
has been produced to cause the symp.
toms of malaria
How 1t Becomes Chronic.
After a person has had malaria for
a short while, there are millions of
these sexual parasites in the blood
The chill-producing parasites may have
all been killed by quinine, and the
patient may feel restored in health
But it has been shown that occasional
ly female sexual parasite remaining
in the blood, will, for some ineXplica.
BILE reason, suddenly breed or give OFF
the chill-producing parasites, and these
latter then begin to multiply rapidly
In a week or so they will cause the
malarial chills just as though the pa
tient had been inoculated by a mos
, quito.
The foregoing explains the we'll
known fact that patients with chronic
malaria have from time to time, re
currences of the disease after having
been apparently cured by quinine. II
also shows how and why patient APP
parently cured, yet harboring the sex
ual forms Of the parasite, is just as
dangerous in causing the spread of the
disease as is one suffering from an
acute attack.
i Cure of Chronic Malaria.
1t follows from the foregoing. says
the Georgia State Board of Health
that the first step necessary is to kill
the chill-producing parasite with qui
nine, and then begin the administra
ton of arsenic in as large doses as
) possible, for it has been found that
this drug kills the sexual form of the
? parasite, though it is usually neces-
sary to administer it for several
months before the object is attained
While giving the arsenic the patient
should have a full dose of quinine ev'
cry few days, as otherwise some of
i the female sexual forms might sporu'
late and give rise to some Of the chill
producing forms which are not affect
ed to any extent by arsenic.
Arsenic, as is well known, is a poi
sonous drug; and it is likewise dan
. gerous for persons unfamiliar with
quinine to administer that drug. 1t
. is essential, therefore, that in the
: proper treatment OF malaria, COM
petent physician be called, and that
e the patient follow explicitly his direc'
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