FREE MALARIAL PARASITES AND THE EFFECT OF THE MIGRATION OF THE PARASITES OF TERTIAN MALARIAL INFECTIONS

1. The malarial parasite is extracellular throughout its life cycle and migrates from red corpuscle to red corpuscle destroying each before it abandons it; in the brief intervals between, the parasite is free in the blood serum; it does not remain long free, but almost immediately attaches itself to another red corpuscle by means of delicate pseudopodia. 2. The compact form of the tertian parasite is the type of free parasite most often observed; in this form the parasite may be seen not only in migration, but after quinine and in the cadaver. I believe the compact form to be the normal resting form of the parasite, all other forms being assumed in order to secure attachment and to obtain food. 3. Care must be taken not to confound free parasites having protoplasmic pseudopodia ready for attachment with the sexual flagellating parasites, whose flagella are composed of chromatin. 4. The malarial parasite can live for some time free in the blood serum, though under normal conditions there is no reason why it should remain free for any length of time, and there are certain periods in the life of the parasite when it must be admitted that it is free from the corpuscle and survives. If the parasite is, as I believe, attached to the external surface of the red corpuscle, it is constantly exposed to the action of the patients' serum. 5. The destruction of more than one red corpuscle by each parasite would readily account for the severe and early anemia occurring in malarial infections. 6. Long continued treatment with quinine will eventually cause the death of all malarial parasites.