Malariotherapy

Malariotherapy is a controversial and largely historical treatment method that involves the intentional infection of a patient with malaria to treat other diseases. The practice was most commonly used to treat syphilis before the advent of antibiotics.

History

Julius Wagner-Jauregg, an Austrian psychiatrist, is credited with the development of malariotherapy. In 1917, he began to treat patients suffering from neurosyphilis, also known as general paresis of the insane, by injecting them with the blood of malaria-infected soldiers. The high fevers induced by the malaria infection were found to kill the Treponema pallidum bacteria that cause syphilis. Once the syphilis was cured, the malaria could be treated with quinine, a common antimalarial drug. For this work, Wagner-Jauregg was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1927.

Method

The method of malariotherapy involved infecting the patient with a specific strain of malaria, usually Plasmodium vivax. This strain was chosen because it was less deadly and easier to control than other forms of malaria. The patient would then experience a series of high fevers, which were believed to kill off the syphilis bacteria. After the course of treatment, the patient would then be treated with quinine to cure the malaria.

Criticism and Decline

Malariotherapy was a risky and dangerous treatment method. It carried a high risk of death and serious side effects, including damage to the heart and other organs from the high fevers. With the discovery of antibiotics, particularly penicillin, in the mid-20th century, malariotherapy fell out of favor as a treatment for syphilis.

In modern times, malariotherapy is considered unethical and is not practiced. However, the history of malariotherapy is still studied as an example of the extreme measures that were once taken to treat diseases before the advent of modern medicine.

See Also

• History of syphilis
• History of malaria
• Julius Wagner-Jauregg
• Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine