[Dreaded miasmas: Austrian scientists on board the frigate Novara pursue the secret of malaria].

The term miasma was coined by Hippocrates of Kos. He introduced it to describe dangerous fumes from the ground that are transported by winds and can cause serious illnesses. Up until the late 19th century, miasmas from swamps were blamed for giving rise to and spreading so-called intermittent fever, cold fever, swamp fever or malaria. It was not until 1898 that the mosquito genus Anopheles was identified as the agent responsible for transmitting malaria. On 30 April 1857, the Austrian frigate Novara left Trieste to circumnavigate the globe. One of the medical officers on board, Dr. Eduard Schwarz, studied the composition of miasmas in detail and published his investigations in the medical section of the "Novara Chronicles" in 1861. Schwarz attributed the dreaded Nicobar fever to decomposition processes of organic material, which released dangerous miasmas that could only be eliminated by draining the swamps. Karl von Scherzer, the scientific director of the Novara expedition, collected exact information about the distribution range of the cinchona tree, which was said to be threatened with extinction, a rumor that later proved to be false. Quinine was gained from the bark of the tree and was used worldwide to treat malaria, pains, and fever.