The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1922-09-28
MALARIAL FEVER
AND ITS CAUSE
What is malarial fever?

A disease of man, common in hot,
wet countries.
What is malarial fever sometimes
called?
Chills and fever, bilious fever,
swamp fever.
Is this disease found in the United
States?
Yes. Along the coastal plain from
Connecticut to Texas, over nearly all
the Mississippi Valley, and in num-.
Der of valleys on the Pacific Coast
What causes malarial fever?
The presence of certain organisms
in the blood of the person who has
the fever.
What do you mean by an organ
ISM?
Something that is alive and thus
has the power to reproduce its kind.
1t may be alive as plant is alive,
or alive as an animal is.
Is the organism which causes ma
larial fever a plant or an animal?
1t is an animal, and in the blood
is said to be an animal parasite.
What do you mean by a para
Site?
An animal or plant that lives at
the expense of another, like the
mistletoe, love vine, rust on corn,
or the hookworm, flea, etc. The ma
larial parasite lives in man only by
feeding on the blood cells of the man.
How do you know that these para
sites are found in the blood of those
who have malarial fever?
Because with the microscope we
can see them in the red blood cells
of man sick with malarial fever.
What do you mean by red blood
cells?
They are very small bodies float
ing in the blood, shaped much like
biscuit, with thickened edges; they
give the blood its red color, and are
a most important part of it. They
are essential to life.
How do these malarial parasites
get into the blood?
In one way only: Through the bite
OF mosquito. Malaria is not ac-
quired by eating improper food, by
drinking bad water, by bathing in
the sun. or in any other way than
by the bite of a mosquito. True, II
one already has malaria, that is, has
these parasites already in the blood,
doing these things will develop it
bring it out''-sO that he may have
a malarial attack which he cOuld
otherwise escape, but only if he is
already infected with malaria.
Do all kinds of mosquitoes transmit
malarial parasites to man?
No Only Anopheles mosquitoes
carry malaria, and only some kinds
of Anopheles.
Are mosquitoes born with this
power Of conveying malaria?
No. They acquire it only by biting
a man who has these parasites in
his blood. The parasites are taken
then from a man by a mosquito and
go back from the mosquito to an
other man. Where the parasites first
started we do not know.
How then does malaria SpreadI
Exactly like yellow fever. A fe-
male mosquito of certain kind feeds
on a man infected with malaria and
sucks up blood with malarial para
sites in it. She can not convey ma
laria to those whom she bites for
some days Ga week or mOre) after
this, but after waiting a while (the
reason for which all will be told
later she injects these parasites into
other men whom she bites and in
fects them with malarial fever.
What, then, is necessary to spread
malarial fever?
AnOpheles mosquitoes; malarlal
parasites and healthy men. The pa.
rasites may be either already in the
infected mosquitoes or in infected
men, from whom the mosquitoes can
get them by biting.
Do both male and female mosqui-
toes bite?
No. The female bites. 1t is doubt
full if the male ever bites.
Can you describe the head OF
mosquito?
All mosquitoes have a bill and two
palpi (pal-pee), which lie close TO
it. one on each side. Outside the
palpi are two antennae (an-ten- nay)
which spread apart. The antennae of
the male are plume like. Those OF
the female are not.
How then can you tell the male
from the female?
The male has "plumes on his head.
How can you tell the Anopheles,
malaria bearing, mosquitoes from the
Culex and other kinds in the United
States which do not convey malaria!
One way is by their heads. Ano-
piles have straight bills and palp1
nearly as long as their bills. The
female of the other kinds have short
palpi. except one kind which has
curved bill. The males of both Culex
and Anopheles have long palpi, and
one can not tell the species of the
males in this way.
Are there any other differences!
The malarial mosquito is slight and
graceful The wings are generally
spotted or duSky.
Is there any other difference to