Evening star., 1940-04-20
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Field, Laboratory
And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.

And Study
By Thomas r. Henri.
Three United States Public Health
Service officers have just completed in
vestigation Of an extremely virulent,
mosquito-spread malady-believed to be
a Illuminating, malignant type of ma
laria-which broke out this fall along
the Burma road into China, the chief
supply route from the outside world for
Chang Kai-shek's army.
Construction work along the highway
in Southwestern China, gigantic engi-
neering undertaking, was made nearly
impossible when in some places from 80
to 100 per cent of the coolies engaged fell
sick OF the mysterious malady. The
death rate was very high. The United
States medical group, now on its way
home, has not reported its findings
but one of its last requests to Washing
ton was for two tons of Paris green, ap-
parently unobtainable in Asia, which
probably was to be used against mos
quitoes.
Reports of major outbreak of per-
nicious malaria caused the Public Health
Service to act Immediately at the request
OF the Chinese government. For some
years isolated cases have been reported
of a malady, akin to malaria, distributed
widely throughout the world, which
proved rapidly fatal. A century ago
malaria was killing disease in some
parts Of the United States. At one time
rich agricultural areas along the South
Carolina coast were practically aban-
doned because of fear of the dreaded
malady which swept over the plantations
In the mosquito season. Medical reports
are SO obscure, however, that it is i'm
possible to tell whether this disease was
ordinary malaria spreading in highly
susceptible population with poor med
ical care or whether it was much more
virulent form which since has disap-
peared.
Up to few years ago an outbreak Of
an insect-carried disease in Southwestern
China would have been only of hu-
manitarian concern to the United States
| Nv AoA do hlio"Il lillS IIldldNy uUtS llUL
spread merely by human contact. so
its range would be limited to the flying
range Of the infected mosquitoes which
would spread very slowly. At pres
ent, however, with air transportation
across the Pacific, it would be entirely
possible for one of the insects to be
brought to the United States in few
ny fNr ioYi ~
land here and establish a reservoir
among American mosquitoes.
| The Public Health officers, now on
their way home, are Dr. l.. L. Williams,
head OF malaria preventive work of the
service and formerly a member of the
malaria commission of the League of
Nations; DR.. Bruce Mayne special ex-
pert on mosquitoes and DR.. Hiram j.
| Bush. Both Dr.. Williams and Dr. Mayne
| have served in India and become familiar
with the local forms of malaria. Both
also have Travelled in Burma, where the
malady along the Chinese road may
| have originated For the past two
| months they have been working with
/ Chinese doctors. They were particularly
/ anxious to check the spread to any of
| the Oriental seaports. from whence it
might soon have become a menace to
| great part of the world.
! Fear of such spread is aggravated by
! the fact that within the past few years
with air service across the South Allan
| tic, new type of malaria bearing mos
| quito has been introduced into South
| America from North Africa and already
| has become major health problem in
some cases
| Ordinary malaria still constitutes
| major health problem in the United
States. especially in economically back
ward regions, because of the virtual i'm
! possibility of eliminating mosquitoes. It
! causes much suffering and saps the vital
| ity OF the population Seldom, however.
| is it blamed. per Sc, for deaths. With
adequate medical attention an individ-
ual case can be brought quickly under
control. But there is no guarantee, Pub
lie Health officers complain, that there
may not be mutation in the malarial
organism which will make it much more
virulent
In the past either ordinary malaria or
some variant Of it has taken weird forms,
now no longer encountered bv phvsi-
Clans One such was comatose fever. the
eliminating symptom of which was a
| profound Inconsistencies which could
not be broken by any stimulant and fire.
quently ended in DEATH At times it
changed into an extreme excitement.
ending either in recovery or a fatal col.
lapse. There was also the "delirious per-
nlcious fever" marked by a period of
furious excitement and hallucinat1ons.
This ended either in period of deep
sleep from which the patient awoke en-
tirely recovered, or in death. Another
form was the eclamptic pernicious fever
which followed somewhat the pattern of
spinal meningitis, but from which il
could be differentiated by blood tests.
1t was especially common in children.
and approximately half of it's victims
died.
Public Health Service officers are
anxiously awaiting DR.. Williams report
upon his return to Washington to see
whether the malady of the Chinese Ia
borers followed any of these former
| American patterns.