Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1916-03-10
MALARIA
Cause and Prevention
BY The .Anti-Malarla Campaign
Of the Department Of Preventive
Medicine Of the University Of
Tennessee, Memphis, Tenn.
What Malaria IL.

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 I'M
til from seven to ten days after having
bitten q person in whom the malaria
parasite has reached q 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 drop of average size
contains fifty millions of them. They
can be counted by first diluting the
blood so that by counting several hun
bred we can calculate the number.
Some cases of malaria are so bad that
twenty-five million parasites may be in
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 Is 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 togetner, add In the
course Of an hour or less, all the young
ones 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 SO, gradually,
the malaria becomes chronic. Enor-
nous numbers of red blood cells may
60 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 to
repeat, some of the parasites refuse to
divide, remain dormant and are unin-
fiuenced by quinine. They can then
ONLY MULTIPLY IN THE BODY OF
THE MOSQUITO. The person has
become a source of infection. He may
no longer be i'll. He may not be in
bed. He is able to mingle with others
and, IL he is 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 next
person bitten, secondary" cases OF
malaria appear. MALARIA HAS
THUS BEEN CAUSED BY TURN
ING UP THE SOIL" DRINKING
BAD WATER" Batting IMPROP-
Err FOOD" etc.
In reality, some of the laborers
brought 1t along and distributed 1t to
others. The enormous value OF this
lesson to all employers of labor should
be apparent.
The Malaria Parasite In Mature.
Since the discovery of the parasite
in the blood and its transmission by
the mosquito, the thousands of observ.
ers working on the problems of ma
laria have never encountered the par
asite in the free state or in any other
host" The eradication of malaria
has been successfully carried out on
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 never been possible to transmit
malaria experimentally, except by I'm
oculation from known case or from
mosquito known to I've infested.