In 1927 the Nobel prize was given to Austian physician, Julius von Wagner-Jauregg. He observed that many people suffering from syphilis ended up in mental institutions with the conditions of 'general paralysis of the insane,' GPI.
Well, he also observed that those who came down with malaria were less susceptible to GPI. He also knew that syphilis died in heat (in a test tube), and was curious if the fever brought about by malaria would stave off the neurodegenerative effects of syphilis. You can always cure malaria by quinine.
He invented Malariatherapry. Obviously, this is 1927, and all of this is a moot point with the development of anti-biotics.
I wonder...
(NOTE: I understand the huge ethicial problems dealing with the next statement.)
Can malariatherapy halt the progression, if not cure, leprosy?
This would have to be a retrospective cohort study, as it might be easier to give anti-biotics than malaria to someone with leprosy, and therefor an observational study would be Tuskegeesque.
The leprosy bacteria can't thrive when it gets too warm, that's why sufferers lose fingers, ears and eyebrows first, where it's cooler. So would inducing a high fever, like the one brought about from Malariatherapy cure or ameliorate the symptoms/disease at all?
Just throwing that one out there...
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