Treatment Of

Malaria

The Value of Atebrin

TKE following is part of a letter received from Messrs. Wm. Breckwoldt & Co., of Rabaul, agents in the Pacific Islands for Bayer products:— “In the October issue of the ‘P.I.M.’ is an article ‘Fight Against Malaria— Use of Plasmoquine and Atebrin in the Southern States of America’.

“In this article there are certain arguments against the use of Atebrin. The statements are. surely of several years ago. We can only say that Atebrin has proved very successful in the Pacific Islands and that we have an increasing turnover. You may ask the local doctors for their opinions and you will find that they prescribe more and more Atebrin tablets as well as Atebrin injections.

“Furthermore, the writer took Atebrin tablets regularly (every two months, 15 tablets) first in Africa and then in the Pacific Islands, since 1933, and did not suffer from malaria.

“We are enclosing some articles written^,® n T pJ?if v^ lb fPom^^es^rs^Bayer 6 Ig"

A G the Farbenmdustne A.G., o Leverxusen, tne manufacturers of Atebrin.

A great deal of matter relating to anti-malaria drugs has been sent to us. matter “has manu- 3 facturers of the drug, who naturally are interested in its sale; whereas the article we quoted in August came, we believe, from a completely disinterested source,

That article, while critical, did not con demn Atebrin, however, and, in view of that fact, and the good standing of the Bayer firm, we quote the following from an article supplied by Messrs. Breck woldt: — “The League of Nations, and more par ticularly the Malaria Commission which it expressly called into existence, could not fail to consider the important ques tion: which drugs are most suited for treatment and prevention of 'malaria?

“During the years 1934-36 the Commis sion tested this problem in Algeria, the Malay States, Italy, Rumania and the U.SS.R., in over 12,000 patients suffer ing from malaria. The results of the tests have now been published in the Fourth Report of the Malaria Commis sion of the League of Nations, and may be summarised as follows: — “On almost all the developmental forms of the casual agent of malaria the mod ern synthetic drug Atebrin acts more quickly and more powerfully than quin ine. The typical manifestations of the malarial attack are more intensively af fected by Atebrin than by the media which have previously been at our dis posal, and—a matter of special import ance—the protection against relapses lasts longer when Atebrin is used. The proportion of relapses amounted, with earlier methods of treatment, to 50 per cent, or more. By means of Atebrin, dis covered a few years ago in the Bayer laboratories, the relapse rate could be reduced to a small fraction of this figure.

“Other important points are the harm lessness and satisfactory toleration shown by this drug, which brings about a cure of malaria within 5-7 days, whereas pre viously courses lasting as long as 30 days

or more were necessary—these of course being considerably more expensive than the simple and speedy treatment by Atebrin.

“In the Report emphasis is also laid on the reliable effect of Atebrin as a pre ventive measure against malaria. To take it twice weekly confers certain protec tion without in the least affecting work ing capacity or general health.”

Mr. E. Quin, of the Samoan Admin istration, reached New Zealand with his wife and daughter by the last “Maui Pomare” on leave.

Mr. R. Reed, who conducts the Ra baul dairy, returned to New Guinea in mid-November after a visit to the coun try districts of New South Wales.

Dr. Margaret Mead (who, in private life, is Mrs. Gregory Bateson) who has been studying native life in Bali, Dutch East Indies, for some time, arrived in Sydney with her husband early in De cember and will remain in Australia for several weeks. Dr. Mead is well-known in most of the Pacific Islands on account, first, of her anthropological studies and second, because she is the author of a number of interesting books based on Is lands life. She is now planning another book about Bali.