Studies in malaria chemotherapy

Abstract

This thesis is an account of the study of some aspects of experimental malaria therapy carried out in an Army Research Team during the period July 1944 to January 1946. -It covers investigations on the response to treatment of malaria cases seen under Field conditions in North Africa and Italy and deals with a continuation of similar work on anti -malarial compounds' conducted at a Military Hospital in England. Until the cessation of hostilities many of the findings in this work were restricted from publication owing to their bearing on military operations, a restriction for which there is now happily no need, so that expressions of opinion on the relative merits of different drugs may be freely given and supported by factual evidence hitherto not possible to disclose.

A very great deal of research on the problem of malaria has been done in the last few years prompted e by the need for the United Nations to wage war in malarious countries at a time when the main World supply of Quinine was in enemy hands. This work, which received very high priority and official backing, was carefully directed and co- ordinated in Britain and America by combined Committees of civilian.and Service Authorities who arranged for an organised approach to the problems presenting and for á mutual sharing of facilities for study as well as results. For reasons of security, little mention of this work has appeared in recent medical literature, but there can be few diseases which have been the subject of more organised study than malaria and few organisms that can have proved more wily and resistant antagonists than the causal Plasmodia. Scientists in university laboratories, synthetic chemists in the great drug manufacturing concerns, therapeutic trial teams in far-flung theaters of war and field control teams draining swamps and spraying D.D.T. from aircraft over jungles; all have played a part and made their contribution to the story of the united front against malaria and to the successes that have been achieved. It is indeed a solemn thought.for reflection that nothing less than a world -wide conflict was .required for civilisation to support, with more than the customary financial pittance, medical research into the prevention and treatment of the disease which has been for long years the greatest single scourge of the human race.