12
Britain", published in London (4 vols 1724-27),
as to the effects of Ague in the marshlands of
Essex at that period, but I suppose there is
this amount of truth in the stories, viz:—
that there was a considerable mortality among
persons going to live at such places as
Fobbing, Mucking, Canvey Island, etc. I
believe there is practically no Ague now-a-days
in South Essex: anyhow there is none in
Aveley. How has this change come about? The
marshes have been drained for the last 300
years in the same manner as now."
Clearly in the 17th century Malaria or Ague as
it was called was not uncommon in parts of
Essex. The mosquito species concerned was
Anopheles maculipennis. There have been no
cases of indigenous as opposed to introduced
Malaria for many decades. It seems to have
died out in Britain as a result of a fortuitous
separation of the infected fly from its host.
For Malaria to prevail, Plasmodium needs to be
constantly taken in by the mosquito from one
infected person and then injected into another
in mosquito saliva. Since mosquitoes do not
pass the infection to their own offspring the
process of transfer needs to be continuous.
As housing conditions improved the mosquitoes
were dissuaded from hibernating in houses which
had been their habit in the last century.
Hence the disease diminished and disappeared.
There have been outbreaks of Malaria in this
century but it has been introduced from
overseas: for example during the Great War,
when soldiers returning from areas with a high