The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1916-03-10
MALARIA
Cause and Prevention
BY The Anti-MaIaria Campaign
Of the Department Of Preventive
Medicine Of the University Of
Tennessee, Memphis, Tom.
What Malaria 10.

what Malaria 10.
Malaria is a disease of the blood OF
man, transmitted by the bite OF only
very few Of the many kinds of mosqui-
toes known. In the United States there
are only three verieties known to carry
malaria. They cannot transmit it un-
til from seven to ten days after having
bitten a person in whom the malaria
parasite has reached . certain stage
Of development.
The disease first called malaria by
the Italians is an infection OF the red
cells OF the blood by minute animal
parasite. The red cells are the air-carry.
ing, vitalizing bodies that carry oxy.
gen, the vitalizing element of the air,
from the lungs to all the cells and COM
ponent parts of the body. The lungs
breathe for the red cells; the red cells
breathe for the whole body. These cells
are so small that a drop Of average size
contains fifty millions of them. They
can be counted by first diluting the
blood so that by counting several hun
dred we can calculate the number.
Some cases Of malaria are so bad that
twenty-five million parasites may be in
a single drop of blood. This means that
half the blood is incapacitated and
doomed to destruction. because mala-
ria-infested cells invariably die.
How Malaria 10 Transmitted.
These parasites, when they have
grown to the full size of the cell, I'M
dergo division, and then the cell bursts
and liberates from eight to thirty.two
young parasites. All the parasites
mature very close togeuner, AID in the
course of an hour or less, all the young
nes swarm free in the blood. This
makes the chill. The young parasites
get into other cells and repeat the
cycle. After a few chills the broods
scatter out, the chill does not repeat
the fever is lower, and 80, gradually,
the malaria becomes chronic. Enor
nous numbers of red blood cells may
go to pieces every day, and the patient
merely feels that he has malaria In
the system" He keeps it down with
occasional doses of chill tonic or Other
patent medicine.
About the time the chills cease tc
repeat, some Of the parasites refuse to
divide, remain dormant and are unin
fuenced by quinine. They can Their
ONLY MULTIPLY In THE BODY OF
THE MOSQUITO. The person ha,
become a source of infection. He may
no longer be i'll. He may not be il
bed. He Is able to mingle with other.
and, If he is a laborer. he will bunk
with other laborers, and, after the
necessary time has elapsed for devel
opment in the mostquito and the time
for enough multiplication in the mex
person bitten, secondary" cases o.
malaria appear. MALARIA HAS
THUS BEEN CAUSED BY TURN
ING UP THE SOIL" DRINKING
BAD WATER" eating IMPROP
Err FOOD" etc.
In reality, some Of the laborer;
brought 1t along and distributed it tc
others. The enormous value Of this
lesson to all employers of labor should
be apparent.
The Malaria Parasite In Nature.
Since the discovery of the parasite
In the blood and its transmission by
the mosquito, the thousands of ohserv'
ers working on the problems of ma
laria have never encountered the par
asite in the free state or in any otheI
host" The eradication of malaria
has been successfully carried out on
a large scale in Africa, the Confeder
ated Malay States, some of the Cen.
trail American States. the Panama Ca
nal, in Italy and elsewhere, by taking
into consideration no other factor than
this cycle from man to mosquito, and
vice versa. 1t may. therefore, be as.
sumed that all other phases Of exist,
ence Of this parasite have disappeared
1t has lever been possible to transmit
malaria experimentally, except by in.
oculation from a known case or from
a mosquito known to I've infested.