Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-02-19

phf@ sn 1863, and prior 70 EM@f time,
/ In 1888. ii appeared among some Irish
immigrants. ID whom Il was confined
In 1917 focus OF infection was
found 10 exist iii Bear Greek Canon,
Colorado. The only explanation 81 It's
presence there seemed to be In that i
few months previously wandering
band of gypsies spent considerable
time III the vicinity Of the house where
I Il afterwards developed The germ Is
known as the spirochete Of Ober-
meier. 0to 0bermeiar being he Grst
to have observed II III blood drawn
from living patient Ia 1868
ReiapsinR lever gained no Roadway
among the troops 81 the western front.
III fl hid. the famous arsenIcal prepa-
ration Of Ehrlich. sos, would have pro-
duced an Immediate cure and danger
og spread would have vanished This
drug. however, has no effect Oh typhus
owing to the fact that the virus II Of
an easirely aifYeren, nature PIotx dis
covered the germ which causes the lat
ter malady here In New York and inn
naediately developed serum which
two years ago proved 10 be very efiica-
cious Ia serbia, where the population
was rapidly dying from ita inroads
I'yphus Rare In Aneriea
Typhus was only differentiated from
typhoid fever III the first part of the
last century. hence the similarity in
names. II has never gained much Of
footho1d Id the United States. al
though ii was and II common III Mex
leo. One could almost guess Iss geo
graphical distribution a few cases
appear IN ireland each year. and It II
said 10 be more or less common in
Brittany II Ii praetically endemic III
Portugal Anstria aud especially Gall
ella. II often reaches the height Of an
epidemic fl the Balkan states and in
parts of Russia II is never seen In
Africa south Of the Sahara desert, and
never south on twenty-five degrees
north In Asia.
Certain FORMS ct malignant malaria
exist along the Roman Campania and
around the borders of the upper Adri-
attic sea which could well be imported
to the Northern states BY returning
American soldiers. but the danger of
any general distribution Is not large
owing to the fact that Il yields read
lily to quinine and other medication.
and because II has been demonstrated
that the mosquito alone II responsible
for It's spread Prevention Is there
fore best obtained by eliminating the
mosquito. Malaria III Italy Is almost
AS old as history
Ii came originally out Of Central
africa. was brought ID Greece BY re-
turning Hoitiiers several hundred years
before the birth of Christ. aad was
later carried to Rome by Roman SOL
diers who had participated In tie con-
quest Of Greece. BY many eminent
authorities ii ii believed that the fall
.of both Greece and Home may be 1T.
tribnted more TO malaria than any
other single cause
MalaFia Weakened Romans.
III is certain that the uncontrolled
epidemic of malaria In Rome alone
the Tiber compelled the population 10.
seek homes elsewhere, and produced
d general physical deterioration which
permanently weakened the race Et.
was not until the eighteenth century
that qufnine and IT'S curative powers
were discovered as the result of con
tact with primitive races OF South
America and not until three decades
ago that the method of transmission
was established. Therefore II Is only
within the lifetime Of the present gem
Grafton that any rational method Of
limiting its distribution has been ems
ployed
These pernicious forms Of malaria
are found to some extent In orr south
ern states where patients are covered
with mosquito netting 10 prevent It's
dissemination Il has been by the use
of similar methods that the spread OF
yellow fever has been effectively pre-
vented, yellow fever patients are
now treated iii general wards 81 hos-
pitfalls, the simple procedure Of cover
ing the patient with mosquito netting
being the only precaution observed
While the cootie has been SO abnn
dam in the trenches on the western
front. and While no war has passed
Aslthoui leaving communicable dis
ease in its trail, il is more than prob-
able that any disease which may be
brought home by the returning dough
boys will be quickly and efficiently
controlled. and such cases as do exist
be viewed more as cnriosities by the
guardians Of public health than as an
actuai menace.
FIRE co. CONTRIBUTIONS