Mussolini's Battle Against Malaria

[JLEES]

Hello,
I just purchased this Italian postcard that was published in support of the National Campaign Against Malaria. In bold lettering across the top it states, “National Campaign Against Malaria – “This is the war we prefer” Mussolini”. While the center has a intense portrayal of a foreground Italian on horseback in the aggressive act of spearing a serpent (who represents malaria), superimposed over a large background red cross. However, the the next line below makes no sense. I translate it as something about offering lubes of waste and through the sewers. Could someone please translate the lower section of the postcard?
Thanks,
James

[Oasis]

Your translation is partially correct but:
"offer lubes waste - that you throw into the sewers - for the destruction of malaric mosquitoes"
(collected lubes financed mosquito campaign..)
Toni

[JLEES]

Toni,
Many thanks for the kind translation! However, I now have another question. When you say, "collected lubes financed mosquito campaign" are you saying people would give or "offer" their lubricant waste to the anti-Malaria Campaign that would then be used as an insecticide to kill mosquitos? If yes, they must have had neighborhood collection drives to collect the lubricants. I've never heard of this before.
James

[Carlo Decanini]

I believe there were indeed attempts (no DDT then, at least in Italy) to kill malaria bearing mosquito's larvas by spreading mineral oil over the swamps where those larvas lived.

[durb]

How much of it was propaganda I do not know, but the draining of Pontine Marshes during is considered as a major effort to eliminate malaria at least at local level near Rome as the Pontine swamps were fertile breed ground for malaria mosquitos. I guess it did the trick although the thousands of workers of the draining project were themselves infected with malaria.

The project has been considered as one of the major positive successes of Fascist Italy, but during WW2 much of achievements were destroyed and malaria came back to the region. It took after war a new reconstruction campaign (this time with DDT) to end the malaria at the area.

The Pontine Marshes project was connected to national strategy of "bonifica integrale" - a step by step procedure to convert malaria swamps to fertile agriculture areas. Italian wiki has quite good article of this bonifica integrale/bonifica agraria strategy: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonifica_a ... l_fascismo
Some info in English: http://www.malariaworld.org/blog/lesson ... -1900-1962

[JLEES]

Yes, I tried researching this subject about a year ago and couldn't find too much about it. The draining of the Pontine Marshes appears to have been a success and, for a time, it was viewed as a great fascist success story that was overcast by other events. However, I do have one question. If the Pontine Marshes project was connected to national strategy of "bonifica integrale" and was part of a step by step procedure to convert malaria swamps to fertile agriculture areas, would it be safe to say it was the first step?
James

[Grofmontecristo]

Something about this and the results. I can speak for the region of Istria (province of Pola at that time), during the fascist regime that region was part of Italy, after WW2 it passed to Yugoslavia.
Istria had problems with malaria, the countryside was full with small lakes (we call them lokve) which were very important as water reservoirs, usually for cattle, for sometimes even for people. You can imagine that these small lakes were ideal breeding grounds for mosquitos. At first the government tried to fill up these lakes, but the locals were not very satisfied with these actions. So the started importing fishes from the US that would eat the eggs of mosquitos (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosquitofish). Also there was a big project of amelioration of the river Quieto (or Mirna), because it was full of marshes. The whole malaria battle was a success in Istria, the Italian government was the one that finally defeated malaria, and after that you can say that was completely eradicated. If somebody wants I can send an article about this, it's in Croatian but there is a summary in English.
best regards

[Sheldrake]

How much of it was propaganda I do not know, but the draining of Pontine Marshes during is considered as a major effort to eliminate malaria at least at local level near Rome as the Pontine swamps were fertile breed ground for malaria mosquitos. I guess it did the trick although the thousands of workers of the draining project were themselves infected with malaria.

The project has been considered as one of the major positive successes of Fascist Italy, but during WW2 much of achievements were destroyed and malaria came back to the region. It took after war a new reconstruction campaign (this time with DDT) to end the malaria at the area.

The Pontine Marshes project was connected to national strategy of "bonifica integrale" - a step by step procedure to convert malaria swamps to fertile agriculture areas. Italian wiki has quite good article of this bonifica integrale/bonifica agraria strategy: http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonifica_a ... l_fascismo
Some info in English: http://www.malariaworld.org/blog/lesson ... -1900-1962

There is quite a lot about the story of the eradication of Mosquitoes and the draining of the Pontine marshes at the Muse Storico Piana delle Orme. This
http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction ... Lazio.html

In the museum they make the claim that the Germans flooded the marshes to encourage mosquitos at attack the allies at Anzio. The mosquito is far from eradicated in Latina and has a voracious appetite!

[JLEES]

There doesn't seem to be too much in English written about Mussolini's Battle of Malaria, but, bit-by-bit, several of the posters have greatly contributed to my understanding of it. Thanks.