William Osler's Fascination with Diseases of Warm Climates

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Marchiafava Ettore (1847–1935) and Angelo Celli (1857–1914) demonstrated in 1885 that inoculation of blood taken from a case of malaria is followed by an “ague” and peripheral blood parasitaemia. In 1889, these workers also demonstrated that the disease caused by Plasmodium falciparum (which was characterized by “crescents”) differed from that resulting from other species of the parasite.

Osler W. The haematozoa of malaria. Trans Pathol Soc Philadelphia 1887; 13:255–76.

Osler W. An address on the haematozoa of malaria. BMJ 1887; i:556–62.

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Gorgas William Crawford (1854–1920) instituted a successful campaign against the yellow fever mosquito Aëdes aegypti in Havana in 1901. By introducing stringent preventive measures, he was able to reduce disease (most importantly yellow fever) and make the construction of a canal through the Isthmus of Panama a reality. Later, he became ill whilst in London, was visited in hospital by King George V – who bestowed on him a KCMG – and was subsequently accorded a funeral at St Paul's Cathedral.

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Lancisi Giovanni Maria (1654–1720) was a professor at the Sapienzia in Rome, and physician to the Pope. Although he was a believer in the miasmatic theory, he considered that malaria was transmitted; he suggested that mosquitoes might be implicated.

Albert Freeman Africanus King (1841–1914) wrote a paper in 1883 setting out views on the transmission of malaria by mosquitoes; he included 19 reasons in support of the hypothesis¹⁰.

Osler W . Home-bred malaria. Lancet 1917; ii:621.

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Looss Arthur (1861–1923) was Professor of Parasitology in Cairo; after accidentally spilling a drop of fluid containing hookworm larvae on his hand, he subsequently demonstrated hookworm eggs in his own faecal samples. This was the first demonstration of larval invasion via intact skin.

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Seamen's Hospital Society: The London School of Tropical Medicine. Address by Dr. W. Osler, F.R.S. &c. Regius Professor of Medicine at Oxford, together with report of proceedings in connexion with the opening of the winter session Tuesday, October 26, 1909; 1909:35.

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Osler W. Opening of the surgical building and new clinical amphitheatre of the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Johns Hopkins Hosp Bull 1904; 15:379–89.

Bruce (with GC Scicluna) had demonstrated the causative agent of Malta fever in 1887; however, it was not until 1905 that the major source of infection was traced to goats' milk, and when this was replaced by tinned milk, cases of the disease at the Malta Garrison rapidly declined.

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