Importance of the Spleen to Survival from P falciparum
Abstract: P falciparum infections carry a considerable mortality risk, but the nature of the ‘immunity’ gained from infection experience is uncertain. Although anaemia may contribute some protection against mortality, the function of the spleen appears critical to controlling P falciparum parasitemia and increasing survival. Melanesian reports suggest that survival advantages of P vivax infections and […]
Gastrointestinal Mortality in Military / Prison Camps of the 19th-20th Centuries
Abstract Military prison camps have historically been terrible places with excessive mortality. A review of extant records from the 19th to the 20th century indicates that gastrointestinal mortality dominated in both cold weather and tropical prison camps. Malnutrition and gastrointestinal infections became mutually re-enforcing causes of mortality in prison camps, including Andersonville, Georgia, during the […]