200 MOSQUITOES OF NOETH AMERICA 



effort, based exclusively upon Koch's method, did not give good resiilts. They 

 found it difficult to make exact microscopic diagnoses, and also found it im- 

 possible to give agricultural laborers the doses of quinine prescribed by Koch, 

 since such doses incapacitated them from work and made them refuse subsequent 

 treatment. Giving the doses recommended did not in two cases prevent the re- 

 appearance of the fever. They concluded that, if the results obtained by them 

 in this test are compared with the results which they obtained in Algeria by 

 mechanical defense against mosquito bites and the use of petroleum against 

 their larvse, there can be no doubt about the superiority of the latter methods. 

 The theoretical idea of the disinfection of the blood of malarious patients is 

 very logical, provided that the quinine actually kills the parasite in all its stages. 



Quininization has been used in many of the British colonies, not entirely on 

 the Koch plan to use it as the sole means of doing away with malaria, but as an 

 auxiliary, and with considerable success. In British Guiana, as pointed out by 

 Boyce, the government gives out quinine at the postoffices to laborers, and he 

 states that it is sought after and does good. 



In Italy very marked results have followed the general use of quinine, intro- 

 duced by the government and encouraged in every possible way. There was 

 already a very marked reduction of malaria in the first years following the dis- 

 covery of the transmission of the disease by mosquitoes, when many efforts were 

 made to control malaria through the mosquito. Further improvement was 

 brought about by extensive drainage operations, but the statistics show that 

 with the introduction of the free use of quinine there was a great reduction in 

 the, until then still high, malarial rate. Professor Celli is the strongest advo- 

 cate of the extensive use of quinine. He believes that by this means alone 

 malaria can be controlled in Italy and that other measures are negligible. 

 There has been much opposition to his view, but he argues that drainage 

 measures, while theoretically the ideal method of malaria control, can not be 

 carried out in a sufficiently perfect manner to insure results. He points out 

 that drainage can never be perfect and that the smallest collections of water will 

 furnish breeding places for Anopheles. Furthermore, agricultural irrigation 

 works, established on the reclaimed lands, have unavoidably established new 

 breeding places for Anopheles. It seems to us that neither method alone would 

 have given the results now obtained, but just what share should be credited to 

 the different methods would be difficult to determine. Certainly in Italy the 

 general use of quinine appears to have very materially reduced malaria. The 

 accompanying maps, from Professor Celli's paper in the Atti della Soeieta per 

 gli Studi della Malaria, vol. xi, 1910, show the wonderful improvement which 

 has been brought about in malarial conditions in Italy through the modern ideas. 



Stephens and Christophers state that a prophylactic method was tried with 

 considerable success at one point in Africa. This consisted in removing the 

 residences of the Europeans to a distance from the native town, and thus, from 

 the source of infection. " Several years ago at Accra, Gold Coast, the residences 

 of the officials were removed from Accra town to an unoccupied site about half 

 a mile from any native dwellings, since called Victoriaborg. This is almost the 



