The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1914-06-30
STOCKS
A WORN SUBJECT

At the risk Of wearing holes in a
subject already threadbare. the
State Board OF Health is again call
| ing attention TO the matter of ma
| laria in Florida
There are several features of this
affection which can hardly be too
Frequently emphasized. The first is
| that it is unnecessary, entirely IN
! necessary-ne one need have it if he
doesn't want to. Second, it is a very
| uneconomic disease, in that it reduces
TO low stage the physical and men
tai productiyeness Of the individual,
reduces his energy, his desire and
his ambition to accomplish, far be-
| low the normal. While the disease
is not considered fatal to any large
| degree. it lowers the resisting force
and makes easier the way for the
entrance of more serious ailments.
There is no scale by which the
| weakening capacity of malaria may
! be measured, but no one who has
| watched intelligently the progress of
| the disease in even a few cases, ~can
fail to have noted this effect.
| The malarial parasite has been
| identified under the microscope. It's
picture has been taken and its habits
have been definitely described Not
only has the medical profession pro-.
vided simple cure for the disease,
but, better still, it has discovered
method of prevention. 1t has been
established as fact that if once this
parasite could be completely eradicat-
ed from any given section, the dis
ease itself would disappear, never to
return except by importation. 1t
has been done within certain well
known limits in several foreign coun
| tries.
So often has the cycle of malarial
infection and reinfection been de-
scribed, that repetition can bring
information to few intelligent Flor
idians. The parasite exists in the
blood of the human patient. By the
bite of the Anopheles mosquito the
parasite is taken into the system OF
the mosquito where it passes thru
a period and process of further de-
lvelopment, and by the bite of the
same mosquito it is transmitted into
/ the blood of a new human victim.
The process is repeated indefinitely
/ - -,
| constantly widening circle of human
beings.
| To interrupt this cycle OF develop
ment at any stage IS to interrupt
and stop the disease. To prevent
the incubation of the mosquito by
the human host, and to prevent the
| incubation Of the new human vic
tim by the infected mosquito-that's
all there is to it. The matter is re-
solved down to the very simple prop
osition-don't allow yourself to be
bitten by the mosquito.
| In the particular case OF the Ano-
| pheles the matter is made even more
simple by the known fact that its
working hours are confined strictly
| 10 the early evening and the night
! What's the remedy?
Screens,
That's the solution. simple and
safe and complete. The only pre-
caution 10 be added is that the
screens should not be put up as if
you were building a chicken house.
full OF holes and loose around the
edges. They should be made literal
ly mosQuito-proof. At all the win
dows and outside doors and around
the porch that is used as a sitting
room in the evening. over the beds
and al every place where the insect
may gain admission TO the members
of the family. The screen is a nee
essary part of the Florida house; no
home in this state is safe or COM
| Portable without it. And ii should
be constructed and fitted TO its place
with as much care as the front door
] or the windows in their castings.
Il is the duty of the individual TO
avoid malaria, duty that each one
owes 10 himself and TO the commun-
ity in which he lives.
Adzl1ke in the sTAR for results