Pacific Enemy Number Two Malaria

[Music] we set our course across the vast and trackless Pacific headed west southwest soldiers sailors Marines we're setting out to break open the road to Tokyo not very long ago this island was a bomb blasted milestone on that road now all of this might be in a liberated Pacific island with the gentle wash of waves along the shore the villages and the people are peaceful now Pacific enemy number one the [ __ ] has been blasted out but still hiding here is Pacific enemy number two the Anopheles mosquito whose tiny bite can mean malaria within the bloodstream of many natives circulates a blood destroying parasite the malaria parasite injected by the mosquito these microscopic parasites multiply over the billions in geometric progression the swollen spleens of native children are a clinical indication that the youngsters are the main reservoir of active malaria parasites they don't look very sick but many an infant has died and those natives who survive are often badly run down by prolonged struggle with malaria during daily sick call the medical officer has good reason to expect to malaria casualty or two for the Anopheles mosquito transmits malaria from the sick natives to our healthy troops when 30 40 or 50 men out of a hundred are knocked flat on their backs by malaria the military situation is far worse than snafu when our officers and men feel like this they are in no shape to fight the jab day by day more men are knocked out of action by mosquitoes than by Jets our medical and line officers recognize malaria as a major military medical problem their combined experience all over the world helps them plan global control measures like military campaigns Pacific enemy number two must not slow down our attack on enemy number one we know that most of this area is not malarious but here from the Solomons up through the islands of fine and rubber 10:00 and tea oil and cotton all through the curving East Indies to the wide coast of Asia in all this vast area malaria is endemic in the native population in real life the islands on the map look like this in territory like this the malaria mosquito breeds in territory like this we do much of our fighting it's hard to fight two enemies [ __ ] and mosquito at one time but any malaria casualty who sweats it out on the long haul back from the frontline can tell you the silent sickness and the malaria mosquito are here as surely as the [ __ ] in the Pacific military discipline and malaria discipline should be as powerful a partnership as rifle and bullets during active combat operations each man from buck private two three-star officers must follow a few simple sensible personal precautions sleeves down shirt button repellent smeared on and smeared on off and a quick spurt of insect spray these individual personal jobs have kept many a man healthy and the most malarious jungle but there is the careless man he is the one sure to be bitten in spite of our scientific protective defenses some mosquitoes will infiltrate to attack some of our a man a man bitten by an infected mosquito can often keep on his feet if he has been taking enough a tebron pills regularly a tebron or other drugs can suppress or delay an attack of acute malaria suppressive anti malarial treatment is particularly valuable before jungle fighting starts check off by roster as each man swallows the drug is the best insurance that every man will be in their slugging when the going gets tough but the Pacific War is not always a jungle war on many islands advanced bases are springing up and at each base is a carefully trained malaria control team this general headquarters of malarial control plans the war against specific enemy number two and a coordinated triple attack medical engineering and entomological once a long-range program of malaria control starts central headquarters sends out scientific advance scouts entomologists these specialists take a careful census of the mosquito population the more on novel eames they find breeding in the quiet waters the more danger of malaria the sea bees who often handle the heavy equipment of malaria control go into action they use dynamite to blast open waterways drag lines to draw off stagnant pools of water into open drainage ditches working part is cut down underbrush certain breeding pools cannot be drained so our control crews attack mosquito wrigglers with oil spray sometimes behind the active fighting front our scientific combat teams help their buddies in the frontline by attacking enemy number two in the rear line even while there is still danger from snipers and enemy bombers sluice gates Dam up enough water to give malaria control engineers a method of periodically flushing out mosquito breeding streams streams whose banks have been cleared of insect hiding places each individual outfit must make sure screens go up and stay in good repair a danger hiding in the villages has not been forgotten control men know that blood hungry mosquitoes and malaria sick natives living side by side make a dangerous combination insects sprays and native homes catch and kill adult mosquitoes in their dark cool daytime hiding places in the meantime the medical officer has gone ahead passing out a tebron pills to the native population this kind of malaria control requires diplomacy pidgin English explanations but cooperation comes with understanding or a little old-fashioned urging a time-tested humble persuader candy gets the a tebron down if enough drug goes down regularly enough parasites will be killed to make the native population less dangerous to us however the drug doesn't make it safe to move into the villages where both natives and mosquitoes live an unprotected fellow like this is exposing himself to double trouble when he goes looking for a little primitive rug cutting foot stomping or some interesting tropical nightlight he'll discover his error in a sickbay where he'll have plenty of time to think things over sometimes unintentionally our own men help the insect enemies rain rain and mosquitoes enough alene mosquitoes go hand in hand often men make the holes and nature fills them it doesn't take much water to make a breeding place here is the thoughtless sabotage of men against our own well-being Road ruts are made and then deserted making an undisturbed Pleasant nursery for the mosquitoes soft surface rutted roads like this must be destroyed every rut in every road made by some thoughtless individual means somebody has to sweat to fill in the potential breeding holes every rut in every unused road must be wiped out barbed wire helps convince the careless guys who can't resist cutting new trails we still fight our way forward on the road to Tokyo and almost every place we find Japs we find malaria too the weapons of combat must be added the weapons of preventive medicines hard-won knowledge of how to go into the jungle and come out healthy we know how to treat malaria if everyone of us understands the danger if each man does his personal or professional bit in controlling malaria we can prevent this ancient tropical scourge we know our men can come marching back from combat without the sickness in their blood Pacific enemy number two can be beaten this is medicine in action [Music]