Medicine: Down with Malaria

The Army, which has kept its malaria troubles a deep secret, last week let some good news out: the north Burma campaign was greatly helped by the drug atabrine, which kept troops on their feet for at least 80 days and let only 20% break down after that. Added to the earlier report that the malaria rate in New Guinea had been cut 95% during the year (TIME, June 26), this indicated that the disease can no longer stop armies in their tracks.

Besides atabrine, the Army’s “malaria discipline” includes screens, rolled-down sleeves, tucked-in trousers, mosquito repellents, puddle and swamp drainage.