Malaria / by Sir Joseph Fayrer.

  • Joseph Fayrer
Date:
[1882]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Malaria / by Sir Joseph Fayrer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    producing them, “ paludal”—as they still are called. In Eome again, a successor of Lancisi traces the connection of ague with the marshes, but this time it is not to an exhala- tion, but an organism, which he and his co-worker Klebs call Bacillus malarise. Which is nearer the truth, Lancisi or Crudelli, remains to be proved; but of this more presently. Laveran has recently discovered another micro-organism in Algeria, which he thinks is the vera causa. Malaria, whatever it may be, manifests itself, and is best known by its influence on man—and animals too, as I am informed by Profs. Axe and Fleming (though this is often disputed), over a great portion of the earth’s surface. It has no defined geographical limits, but practically may be said not to pass the isothermal line 65° north, and 30° south lati- tude; and not to appear when the diurnal range of tempera- ture is below 60° Fahr. It becomes more intense and active, generally, approaching and within the tropics. It is very much regarded as a tropical evil, and so indeed it is, but not by any means exclusively so, for it is found all over Europe, in the south especially; and the Campagna of Rome, the Pontine marshes, the banks of the Danube, the fens of Holland, the rocks of Greece and Gibraltar, all main- tain an evil celebrity. In nearly all continental Europe there are malarious regions; Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Greece—even our own country is not exempt. Once we were a very suffering people, and lost two kings, a queen, cardinal, a lord pro- tector, and many other great people, from a disease that is now almost unknown, at all events in its severe forms, though it still lingers in some districts of the south and east of Eng- land. Why this change ? It comes of better drainage, better houses, better food, better personal and general hygiene, and therefore it is full of encouragement for other countries; and are we not now profiting by this experience, and thus grad- ually diminishing disease everywhere ? Dr. Chevers, who for years has taught the Government and people of India how they might preserve their lives and health, will tell you that, by degrees, it is being recognised and shown that people need not die as fast as they did, even in India, and as we have reduced the mortality of soldiers, who are under control, from 60 to 16 per 1,000, from 13 to 3 of fever alone, so we may do, and indeed are doing, much more still; but how much remains to be done! About 3,500,000 natives die yearly in India of fevers. Ho doubt registration is still im- perfect, though they are doing all that is possible to improve it, and deserve immense credit for what they have done,
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