After the Great Northern War in 1721, Sweden ceased to be an important military power. Instead, the kingdom concentrated on developing science. Swedish research got international fame with names as Carolus Linnaeus, Pehr Wargentin and... more
After the Great Northern War in 1721, Sweden ceased to be an important military power. Instead, the kingdom concentrated on developing science. Swedish research got international fame with names as Carolus Linnaeus, Pehr Wargentin and Anders Celsius. Medical research remained limited and malaria was common especially in the coastal area and along the shores of the big lakes. Already in the beginning of the 18 th century Swedish physicians recommended Peruvian bark as medication and they also emphasized that bleeding or blood-letting a malaria patient was harmful. Although malaria was a common disease in the kingdom, the situation was worst in the SW-part of Finland which consisted of the town of Turku and a large archipelago in the Baltic. The farmers had no opportunity to get modern healthcare until Johan Haartman was appointed district physician in 1754. To improve the situation he wrote a medical handbook intended for both the farmers and for persons of rank. Haartman’s work was ...
Research Interests: Geography and Culicoides
Keskustelua kirja-arvosteluista: Huldén L. 2003: Kyseenalainen teos Suomen mesipistiäisistä - Luonnon tutkija 107: s. 136-143 ja Albrecht, A. 2004: Kyseenalainen kirja vai kyseenalainen arvostelu? - Luonnon tutkija 108: s. 62-63 sekä... more
Keskustelua kirja-arvosteluista: Huldén L. 2003: Kyseenalainen teos Suomen mesipistiäisistä - Luonnon tutkija 107: s. 136-143 ja Albrecht, A. 2004: Kyseenalainen kirja vai kyseenalainen arvostelu? - Luonnon tutkija 108: s. 62-63 sekä kirjasta: Söderman, G. & Leinonen, R. 2003: Suomen mesipistiäiset ja niiden uhanalaisuu
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Endemic northern malaria reached 68 degrees N latitude in Europe during the 19th century, where the summer mean temperature only irregularly exceeded 16 degrees C, the lower limit needed for sporogony of Plasmodium vivax. Because of the... more
Endemic northern malaria reached 68 degrees N latitude in Europe during the 19th century, where the summer mean temperature only irregularly exceeded 16 degrees C, the lower limit needed for sporogony of Plasmodium vivax. Because of the available historical material and little use of quinine, Finland was suitable for an analysis of endemic malaria and temperature. Annual malaria death frequencies during 1800-1870 extracted from parish records were analysed against long-term temperature records in Finland, Russia and Sweden. Supporting data from 1750-1799 were used in the interpretation of the results. The life cycle and behaviour of the anopheline mosquitoes were interpreted according to the literature. Malaria frequencies correlated strongly with the mean temperature of June and July of the preceding summer, corresponding to larval development of the vector. Hatching of imagoes peaks in the middle of August, when the temperature most years is too low for the sporogony of Plasmodium...
Research Interests: Geography, Medical Microbiology, Biology, Malaria, Medicine, and 15 moreFinland, Disease Outbreaks, Population, Humans, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Anopheles, Animals, Population Size, Endemic Diseases, Life Cycle, Seasons, Plasmodium Vivax, Insect Vectors, Death Certificates, and Malaria Vivax
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SummaryMalaria has disappeared in some countries but not others, and an explanation for the pattern remains elusive. We show that the probability of eradication of malaria jumps sharply when average household size drops below four people.... more
SummaryMalaria has disappeared in some countries but not others, and an explanation for the pattern remains elusive. We show that the probability of eradication of malaria jumps sharply when average household size drops below four people. Part of the effect that is commonly attributed to income growth is likely to be due to declining household size. DDT usage plays only a weak role. Warmer temperatures are not associated with increased malaria prevalence. We propose that household size matters because malaria is transmitted indoors at night. We test this hypothesis by contrasting malaria with dengue fever, another mosquito-borne illness spread mainly by daytime outdoor contact.
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Plasmodium vivax life cycle and survival