The diagnostics and treatment of tropical diseasesStitt, E. R. (Edward Rhodes)
Science
The diagnostics and treatment of tropical diseases
Stitt, E. R. (Edward Rhodes)
Tropical medicine
It is the tendency to perniciousness which makes us dread malignant
tertian as we can never be sure that a paroxysm may not develop
cerebral or algid manifestations and these show a very high death
rate, 25 to 50%, even when promptly treated.
As regards relapses quartan is the malarial fever which is most
apt to show this feature and aestivo-autumnal the least. Deaderick
gives the percentage of cases showing relapses in quartan, benign
tertian and aestivo-autumnal as 65, 55 and 45.
The great importance of malaria is rather its invaliding tendency and
by thus reducing the powers of resistance it makes the death rate
from intercurrent diseases higher. Tropical malaria does not seem to
affect the native as it does the European but the high death rate of
infants among the natives is undoubtedly largely connected with this
disease.
Statistics vary greatly as to the percentage of fatal cases in
malaria. Certain figures from tropical countries give fatal results
as occurring in from 2 to 10% of cases, while statistics from
temperate climates show a death rate below 1%. The mortality from
pernicious types of malaria is about 25%.
PROPHYLAXIS AND TREATMENT
=Prophylaxis.=—There are three methods in the prevention of
malaria, all of which may be combined, as was the case in the Canal
Zone region of Panama. These are: (1) Destruction of anopheline
mosquitoes; (2) protection of the individual from the bites of
mosquitoes, and (3) quinine prophylaxis.
It may be stated that it is frequently advisable to carry on the
mosquito warfare without regard to the question of the kind of
mosquitoes destroyed. In general terms the malarial mosquito breeds
in the suburbs of towns or in districts more distinctly rural,
while the transmitter of the more dreaded yellow fever, prefers
breeding places in the immediate vicinity of city houses.
Bentley has recently noted that, with improvement in agricultural
methods and utilization of marshy lands, malaria tends to disappear
as much from the physical improvement and thereby greater
resistance of the people as from the destruction of mosquitoes by
the draining of the swamps. The resulting greater prosperity makes
better food and shelter obtainable.
1. _Destruction of Mosquitoes._
Such measures may be directed either toward the larva or fully
developed insect.
(_a_) Measures against larvae. When practicable permanent measures
should be preferred to temporary ones and when agricultural
development goes along with drainage of swamps the cost is repaid.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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