1909] on the Campaign against Malaria. 607 



from mosquitoes infected by native children (who suffer so frequently 

 from the disease). It was thus apparent that if the inhabitants of 

 malarious countries could be persuaded to protect themselves by 

 mosquito-nets or quinine, or if the governments of such countries 

 could be persuaded to undertake suitable drainage and other measures 

 against mosquitoes, much improvement in the public health was 

 likely to accrue. 



But how precisely was such persuasion to be undertaken ? Of 

 course, I do not allude to utterly barbarous peoples, to areas far 

 beyond the influence of civilisation— which are happily shrinking in 

 magnitude every day. I allude to independent or dependent states 

 professing themselves civilised, and to the numerous colonies of the 

 great civilised nations. Here we already possess the requisite 

 machinery. Such states or colonies are administered by governors 

 and councils, and for the most part possess medical and sanitary 

 departments controlled by well-paid officials whose special duty it is 

 to attend to such affairs. Many dependencies, moreover, such as 

 some of those of Britain, are placed under the central government of 

 the nation concerned, and can be influenced by it. It might be 

 supposed, then, that at the period referred to, all such administrations 

 Avould have gladly interested themselves in the prevention of a disease 

 which produces so much mischief, and of which the cause had been 

 so clearly elucidated ; that they would at once have set about 

 collecting preliminary information and commencing at least some 

 experimental trials. So far as I can see there is no real reason why 

 this was not done everywhere nearly ten years ago. 



Unfortunately, though science may provide us with facts, humanity 

 is slow to credit them, and still more slow to take advantage of them. 

 History is full of examples of this. For instance, years elapsed 

 before the discovery of Jenner was fully utilised — it is not fully 

 utilised even yet. Another instance, closely connected with malaria 

 is that of filiarisis, a parasitic disease of which elephantiasis is one 

 manifestation. More than thirty years ago very good evidence was 

 given to show that it is carried by mosquitoes : and, considering the 

 horrible and widespread deformities which it produces, one would 

 have thought that strong efforts would have quickly been made to 

 control it by reducing the carrying agents. So far as I can ascertain, 

 however, scarcely anything has yet been even attempted against it. 

 No one has interested himself seriously in the matter, and consequently 

 nothing has been done. 



It was therefore early apparent to me that, though the machinery 

 for extensive antimalarial work existed in many countries, yet it 

 would not easily be got to work unless someone could be found who 

 would devote himself to the task — neither a pleasant nor a profitable 

 one— of urging it forward, and I felt that the duty devolved on 

 myself in the absence of others, as regards British territory. Happily 

 Angelo Celli and Robert Koch occupied themselves similarly as re- 



