The Correlation Between Blackwater Fever, Malaria, Quinine and Atebrin

Abstract

A mathematical study has been made of the incidence of malaria and blackwater fever in Greece and the results of the use of atebrin in place of quinine. A high positive correlation (+ 0.87) exists between the use of quinine and the incidence of blackwater fever. There is also a high positive correlation between the volume of malaria in any one year and the incidence of blackwater fever in the same year. During 1942 there was an epidemic of malaria in Macedonia, with no commensurate rise in the incidence of blackwater fever. During this period atebrin was being taken. Coombs'' test was found to be negative in blackwater fever during the height of the attack, immediately after the attack, and after varying periods from the commencement of the attack. It was not determined whether this finding excludes the antigen-antibody hypothesis as the explanation of the genesis of blackwater fever.