The fight between humans and Malaria has been long and wide spread. Its a struggle in which we have often found ourselves bested. Our research question deals with this fight, specifically how it played out in America. Although the name Malaria may not have been used, the sickness has been documented by many of the great world civilizations throughout history.
The earliest known reference to the symptoms of Malaria is found in an ancient Chinese document, known as the Cannon of Medicine, or the Nei Ching; this document dates to 2700 BC. Other early references come from forth century Greece, where Malaria caused a serious decline of many of the city states. The sixth century Sanskrit medical treatise, Susruta, linked the sickness to insect bites and many Roman writers made a connection between Malaria and swamps.
As Spanish Jesuit missionaries traveled to the new world, the America’s offered them a weapon against the continual onslaught of Malaria. Natives had longed used a medicinal bark for relieving fevers, and this substance, now known as quinine, became one of the most effective treatments for Malaria, even into the present. As Europeans began colonizing America, bringing with them the deadly sickness, Malaria became an increasingly devastating force to be reckoned with, in the new world. More then one-third of the early columnist died of diseases, such as Malaria, typhoid fever, scurvy and dysentery.
From 1880 to the turn of the century, discoveries were made, by French, Italian, and British scientist, that helped explain the biology and transmission of the malaria foe. These scientific advancements included the realization that Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes and the discovery of the Malaria Parasite.
During the construction of the Panama Canal, at the turn of the century, United States officials began to see great success in the battle against Malaria. In 1914 Congress allocated funds for subduing Malaria within the United states. One example of America’s success, in the struggle, is the efforts of the Tennessee Valley Authority; The TVO was able to practically eliminate cases of Malaria, in the region, in less then fifteen years, using techniques such as controlling water works. Prior to these efforts, thirty percent of individuals, in the region, were affected by Malaria. Much more information about America’s victory over Malaria, and the techniques used, may be found in our interactive “Defeat Malaria” game, and our timeline: Malaria Timeline in the U.S.
Sources
https://colonialdiseasedigitaltextbook.wikispaces.com/6.2+Malaria+in+the+Colonial+Americas
http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/science-medicine/malaria
http://www.malariasite.com/tag/global-malaria-control/
http://www.ucsf.edu/news/2011/08/10525/progress-fighting-malaria-timeline
http://mim.globalhealthstrategies.com/blog/wpcontent/uploads/2009/10/Malaria-Timeline2.pdf