New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1925-09-23
Your Health
How to Keep It.
Causes of Illness
Fly DR.. HUGH $. CUMMING
Surgeon General United States
Public Health Service


You should know that malarial
fever can be controlled and pre-
vented that there are several
methods OF prevention that may be
used against malaria.
First by getting rid OF anophoes
mosquitoes, which cause malaria.
Second: by not letting these mos
QuItoes get 10 well people TO bite
them.
Third: by so treating men having
maarial parasites In their blood
that they will not infect tho mos.
quito.
Fourth: by so protecting healthy
people that even If they arc bitten
by infected mosquitoes they will not
develop malarlal fever,
Anopheles or maaria mosquitoes
may be destroyed by destroying
their shelters and breeding places.
I They live mainly out OF doors. and
as they cannot bear the hot sun
they shelter themselves In the
| brush and high weeds all day and
come out at dusk to feed. All brush
and high weeds near the house
should be cut down. The brush
about their breeding places should
, also be cut down. The less brush
left TO shelter mosquitoes the bet
Ter, for II they are exposed to the
hot sun many of them die.
The breeding places Of malariaI
mosquitoes may be destroyed in Two
ways.
First, by draining or filling UP
the pools and marshes in which
they breed: second by otling such
! pools as cannot be drained or filled.
Oiling the pools prevents breeding
because It kills the larvae. Try this
on an old water barrel full of
! 'wiggle tails" and see what hap
pens.
Oiling should he done once In
twelve or fourteen days Use
enough oil. or kerosene, to form a
layer all over the surface so that
YOU can see It.
If there Is much grass In the
pool tho oil viii not form a layer al
over II. If the pool Is large the wind
will often blow the oil over 10 one
side so that the surface on the
other side is not covered.
On large pools and grassy pools
oil cannot be depended upon.
Malarial mosquitoes are not COM
monty found in barrels or in arti-
fetal containers. Malarial mosquito
larvae have other enemies beside.
man. The type of minnows that are
so abundant In some Of our small
sluggish streams eat large numbers
of them,
Where there is grass or brush IN
the water frequently the fish can
not get TO the la ryae. Big fish do
harm because they eat the min
nows.
The second method of preventing
malaria consists Of preventing ac-
cess TO anopheles 10 well people.
Malaria bearing mosquitoes can
he prevented from getting to and
biting healthy people.
This can be done in two WAYS.
First, by screening the house.
Second, In some measure, by the
Use of mosquito bars. All holes of
any kind by which mosquitoes can
enter the house should be screened
or closed. People should stay in
doors after dusk where mosquitoes
cannot reach them If they live In a
region where malaria is prevalent.
Mosquito bars should be of fine
bobbinet with no holes in them and
with no slit up the side. They
should not GO over the head or
foot posts of the bedstead.
At night they should be tucked
under the mattress all around and
never be allowed to hang down to
the floor.
The third method is by prevent
ing infection of mosquitoes. You
should know that persons with
malarial parasites In their blood
may he treated so that they will
not infect mosquitoes.
This may be done III two ways.
First, by treating every one who
has these parasites in his blood UNI
Ill he is cured, This is a doctors
business.
Second, by keeping these people
in screened house or al least IN
der a mosquito bar at night as long
as they have malarial parasites In
their blood.
The fourth method employed in
fighting malaria is the immuniza-
ton of people who are exposed.
You should know that healthy men
can be protected so that even If
they are bitten by infected mosqui-
toes they will not develop malarial
fever.
This may be done by the use Of
quinine. If quinine is taken by any
one in small doses during the ma
laria season it will generally pre-
vent malarial fever.
In the United States generally
four to five grains of quinine every
day will be enough. When malaria
is very prevalent as much as seven
and one-half grains may be neccs-
sary. Quininc is best taken after
meals in one dose or in divided
Doses.
Quinine taken in this way docs
not iniure those who take It. It has
been taken thus by many peopiu
for long periods of time without in
jury.
Sometimes when quinine makes a
person uncomfortable at first this
discomfort will disappear If he COLI
tinues to take It. /
Quinine may also be administered
to children as a malarial prevent
tive. About one-half as much as 70
grown people, even less than -
for small children, Is the dos'
given.
The question Is frequently asked /
do people who are thus prevented