SOURCE OF THE MALARIAL PARASITE 493 
the natural method, i.e. blow it, and blow it into a paper 
napkin and burn the napkin. 
This disease spreads in epidemic form about once in a 
generation throughout the earth along the routes of travel, 
and is carried from place to place by man. The name 
Influenza was given to it in Italy about one hundred years 
ago, because it was supposed to be due to the influence of 
some malevolent agent of the air. The French term “ La 
Grippe ” is given to this same disease; while the expression 
Spanish Influenza simply means that the 1918 epidemic 
started in Spain or was first noticed in epidemic form in Spain. 
Home Report. — Look up the ravages of influenza in India, 
Alaska, etc. 1 See what you ckn find out about the total 
number of deaths in the different nations of the world. 
378. Malaria. A Protozoan Disease. — Malaria is a 
disease caused by a protozoan or minute animal which is 
distributed over the greater part of the world.. The ma¬ 
laria protozoon is a minute simple cell of living matter. It 
resembles the amoeba in its form and ability to change. 
This parasite penetrates into the red blood corpuscles and 
remains in them for twenty-four or forty-eight hours, or 
until the substance of the corpuscle is nearly used up. Then 
the parasite escapes into the plasma of the blood and later 
enters a fresh corpuscle. 
379. Source of the Malarial Parasite. — The word ma¬ 
laria means bad air, for it was former^ believed that foul 
air caused the disease. When it was learned that a definite 
animal was the cause both in man and in other animals, the 
problem was to find how the parasite entered the body. It 
has been proved to the satisfaction of scientists that the 
malarial protozoon is injected into the blood by a particular 
kind of mosquito (Anopheles) which carries malaria germs 
in its body. (See page 55.) 
1 Influenza Studies by Raymond Pearl. Reprint No. 548, Public Health 
Reports, Treasury Department. 
