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Show lilillllluiiillliiiilliiuiiiiiiiinilllliliniiiiiiiiiiiiiMi!llllllllliiiiiiiiiuilllllll::illllliiiiiiiiiiin i iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiimiii!lllillliniiit I J Health and Beauty -By - i"l"'"""llii i "ilium DR. SOPHIA BBUNSON "-.iiihii mimi iiiimunn, rapid use, and is even today the best and most reliable drug yet discovered for the cure of malaria. .While the remedy, quinine, to cure marlaria was known, the cause of the malady was not found until Loveran in 1880 found that there were certain organisms present pres-ent in the blood of patients suffering suf-fering from malaria. In 1898, Ross proved that the anopheles mosquito mosqui-to was the carrier that injected these bodies into human beings. In ten days after being infected with these parasites, the patient had an attack of malaria. In order to completely stamp out malaria, it would be necessary to destroy all anopheles mosqui- HOW MALARIA IS SPREAD The problem of malaria and how to prevent it is difficult and com- ' pl'-'x. Men suffered and died from ' this malady for thousands of years 1 before the cause or remedy was ' even suspected. I About 1635, the Indians of Peru ' were found by the Spaniards to be I using the bark of a tree to cure malaria. This they introduced into I Europe where centuries later it be- came known as Jesuits bark, or cinchona bark. The alkaloid, which was really the agent that effected the cure, was extracted from the bark. This active principle became known as quinine. Its beneficient and healing properties came into toes, and to absolutely cure every case of malaria. This will probably never be done, for the problem is too complex. For example, the breeding places of these mosquitoes are practically practical-ly ubiquitous. They breed in any collection of water. Not only are there millions of them in the great silent swamps, sometimse extending extend-ing thousands of miles but they breed around and in homes. Even a flower vase that has been carelessly care-lessly left with water in it, may be the means of sending forth a swarm of these deadly insects. They breed in rain barrels cattle cat-tle tracks, ponds, tin cans' and anywhere water remains for ten days, which is the time required for the egg to produce the mosquito. mos-quito. In tropical and temperate climates it is practically impossible impossi-ble to get rid of all places where mosquitoes breed. It is well to keep on hand a supply sup-ply of quinine, so that it can be aumuusLerea wunout aelay, when a member of the family shows symptoms of malaria. So often the chronic cases have headaches, and may run a little temperature, especially es-pecially in the afternoon. It will do no harm, and will often clear up the case, to give fifteen grains of quinine a day for four days. Many severe cases of illness can thus be avoided. In World War H, the doctors soon found that the program of malaria control must extend beyond be-yond the military reservations and camps, in order to protect the armed forces of the government against their hydo-headed foe, malaria. ma-laria. The Public Health Service was given the responsibility for dircting anti-malarial measures in war areas. "The Malarial Control in War Areas program was organized in March, 1942, as a joint undertaking undertak-ing of the several State Health Departments and the Public Health Service. Its primary objective objec-tive was the control of anophelene mosquito production and the reduction re-duction of malaria transmission in the extra cantonment zones of military and essential industry areas. The program was to complement com-plement similar work by the Army and Navy, within their respective reservations." (To Be Continued) |