740 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



the disease among human beings by the 

 free use of medicine, a point can be 

 gained where there is small opportunity 

 for the malarial mosquitoes to become 

 infected. Moreover, the work of the 

 parties sent out by the Liverpool School 

 of Tropical Medicine and other English 

 organizations to the west coast of Africa 

 has shown that by the treatment of ma- 

 larial-mosquito breeding pools the per- 

 nicious coast fever may be greatly 

 reduced. Again, the work of English- 

 men in the Federated Mala)' States has 

 shown that large areas may be practically 

 freed from malaria. 



The most thorough and the most satis- 

 factory of all measures consists in abol- 

 ishing the breeding places of the malarial 

 mosquitoes. In regions like the Delta of 

 the Mississippi this involves extensive 

 and systematic drainage, but in very 

 many localities where the breeding places 

 of the Anopheles mosquitoes can be 

 easily eradicated, where they are readily 

 located and are so circumscribed as to 

 admit of easy treatment, it is possible to 

 rid the section of malaria at a compara- 

 tively slight expense. 



With a general popular appreciation of 

 the industrial losses caused primarily by 

 the malarial mosquito and secondarily by 

 the forms which do not carry malaria, as 

 indicated in the opening paragraphs, it is 

 inconceivable that the comparatively in- 

 expensive measures necessary should not 

 be undertaken by the general govern- 

 ment, by the state governments, and by 

 the boards of health of communities, just 

 as it is inconceivable that the individual 

 should suffer from malaria and from the 

 attacks of other mosquitoes when he has 

 individual preventives and remedies at 

 hand. Large-scale drainage measures 

 by the general government involving 

 large sections of valuable territory have 

 been planned and are practically under 

 way ; certain states, notably New Jersey 

 and New York, are beginning to work ; 

 communities all over the country through 

 boards of health are also beginning to 

 take notice, while popular education re- 

 garding the danger from mosquitoes and 

 in regard to remedial measures is rapidly 



spreading. But all of this interest should 

 be intensified, and the importance of the 

 work should be displayed in the most 

 emphatic manner, and relief from malaria 

 and other mosquito conditions should be 

 brought about as speedily as possible. 



A few excellent examples of anti- 

 malarial work may be instanced. 



The latest reports on the measures 

 taken to abolish malaria from Klang and 

 Port Swettenham in Selangor, Federated 

 Malay States, indicate the most admira- 

 ble results. These measures were under- 

 taken first in 1901 and 1902, and have 

 been reported upon from time to time in 

 the Journal of Tropical Medicine. 



It seems as though malaria has been 

 permanently stamped out at Klang and 

 Port Swettenham, and this experience in 

 the Malay States should be of value to 

 those responsible for the health of com- 

 munities similarly situated in many other 

 parts of the world. 



MALARIA HAS BEEN STAMPED OUT IN 

 ISMAILIA AND HAVANA 



Another striking example of excellent 

 work of this kind is found in the recently 

 published report on the suppression of 

 malaria in Ismailia, issued under the aus- 

 pices of the Compagnie Universelle du 

 Canal Maritime de Suez. Ismailia is 

 now a town of 8,000 inhabitants. It was 

 founded by De Lesseps in April, 1862, on 

 the borders of Lake Timsah, which the 

 Suez Canal crosses at mid-distance be- 

 tween the Red Sea and the Mediter- 

 ranean. Malarial fever made its appear- 

 ance in very severe form in September, 

 1877, although the city had up to that . 

 time been very healthy, and increased so 

 that since 1886 almost all of the inhabit- 

 ants have suffered from the fever. In 

 1901 an attempt to control the disease 

 was made on the mosquito basis, and this 

 attempt rapidly and completely succeeded, 

 and after two years of work all traces of 

 malaria disappeared from the city. The 

 work was directed not only against Ano- 

 pheles mosquitoes, but against other 

 culicids, and comprised the drainage of a 

 large swamp and the other usual meas- 

 ures. The initial expens-e amounted 10 



