THE MICROBE OF MALARIAL FEVER 175 



blood, thriving, growing, multiplying at the ex- 

 pense of the corpuscles, consuming them as food. 

 In Fig. 80 is seen a single malarial microbe, and a 

 single red corpuscle. The microbe is much smaller 

 than the corpuscle. In Fig. 81 the microbe has 

 fastened itself upon the corpuscle. 



In Fig. 82 the microbe has buried itself within 

 the corpuscle and has begun to grow, making the 

 whole seem larger. In Fig. 83 the microbe has 

 commenced the production of spores. In Fig. 84 

 the spores are fully grown. In Fig. 85 the spores 

 have escaped. 



These spores now grow into new microbes, fasten 

 on other corpuscles, grow and produce a new flock 

 of spores. These new spores grow and fasten on 

 new corpuscles, and produce another crop as be- 

 fore. In every case of malarial fever this process 

 continues so long as the disease lasts. 



In many cases this fever is very light. In other 

 cases it is severe, often proving fatal. This may be 

 explained in either of two ways. On the one hand, 

 the attacking microbes may be more than usually 

 virulent, and, in their life processes, generate a 

 more virulent poison. This makes the disease 

 severer. At other times, the microbes may be a 

 milder variety, generate a milder poison, and cause 

 only a milder disease. 



On the other hand, the blood of the average adult 

 contains about 33,750,000,000,000 red corpuscles. 

 In all forms of the malarial fever the infecting mi- 

 crobes multiply into millions upon millions. These 



