瘧疾与地理

The Geographical Significance of Malaria in the History ofHuman Civilization

中山大学自迁至石牌新址以来,住校员生之患疟者,不可胜数,尤以春夏两季为甚。且其来频,传染速,因此教职真相戒不愿驻校,即校章规定必须寄宿之学生,亦每值课余假日,相率离校入市。员生工作,不免受其影响。(艹盍)已患者,同寻求避免,时存戒惧;即未患者,亦操作不安,而效能减少,此诚为学校当局最切要之一问题。欲求解决,应先明其因。

Since the University is transferei from the heart of the city to the new site, Shih -Pai,at the extreme suburban end, the cases of malaria increase seriously among professors, assistants, students and employ ees. The work efficiency of the personnel of the whole University is thus more of less reduced. But from the hygienic point -of view the new Campus is muchbetter situated than theoldone, why is ma aria more serious there than here?Is the newly exploited region temporarily unsuitable for human- habitation?Insular Asia and the deltas of Southeastern Asia are famous for malaria. Do the forest regions and the swampy lands offer favourable conditions for the development of mosquitoes? But the deforestation and drainage work do not give the same results in every part of the world.In Mediterranean Europe malaria declines with the progress of agriculture. If the intensive culture is an effectual remedy for it, why is then Monsoonal Asia, where gardening, the highest form of land utilization, prevails, 1eavily affected?It is reported that immediately after the Taiping Rebellion and the Revelution of 1911. China suffered more from malaria than before. Do the famines and social diso ders engendered by historical troubles render the people less resistant to the disease?Since 19th Century malaria almost disappears in Central and Western Europe, espec-ially in the most properous ci ies. Is the propagation of modern civilisation an obstacle to that of malaria? But very often the highway and railway construction and the coffee and rubber plantation in tropical countries cause immediately terrible contamination. Why?Whatever complicate this question seems to be, we may conclude from the fact given atove that in every modification of the existing relation between nature and man there iscl ance of malaria propagation. The intensification and the continuance of human activities can diminish this danger, but the cessation or intermission of them has a reverse effes.At all times it is Monsoonal Asia and Mediterranean Europe that suffer the mont from malaria, because the relations between nature and man are there more unstable than any other part of the world. The preventive methods and effectual remedies are to stabilise as quickly as possible the modifications of such relations that occur. But by what means to measure the balance of natural and human influences and then to stabilise it is. really a very delicate but most interesting problem in Human Geography.Note: The important development of malaria in the New Campus of the University11is t he motive of writing this short article. It is based upon, besides the author's personal experiences, the remarkable article of M. Le Lannou: " Le role geographique de la malaria" recently appeared in the "Annales de Geographie de Paris" (No. 254. VolXLV. 1936.).