The Epidemiology of a Disappearing Disease: Malaria*

The honor of the invitation to deliver the 24th Charles Franklin Craig Lecture is greatly enhanced for me by the presence of Dr. Lewis W. Hackett, my first chief, as our presiding officer. It is significant that the invitation to speak on Malaria Eradication comes so soon after the masterly 22nd Charles Franklin Craig Lerture on “Malaria Eradication-Growth of the Concept and its Application” by Dr. Louis L. Williams, Jr., just 2 years ago. This reflects the interest of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in what has come to be the greatest public health effort of all times and the rccognition by your leaders that the development of the program for the world-wide eradication of malaria is so rapid that this Society must have frequent reports, if it is to discharge properly the responsibilities assumed in 1951 when the American Society of Tropical Medicine and the National Malaria Society were fused to brcomc the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. This Society must be the voictt of the tropical public health workers of the ITnitrd States in all matters related to malaria. The responsibility of this Society is indeed great since the economic resources for supplies and equipment and for the technical and administrative training of national staffs essential to eradication programs simply are not availablr in many of the most malarious areas of the world. The continued and increasing support of the United States Government through multilateral and bilateral agencies is indispensable. The responsibility of this Society as a source of informed professional opinion will increase as the world program continues to develop and as obvious SUCC~~SCS in many areas lead to a false sense of optimism with a natural tmdency to rclas and reduce the all-out effort before the goal is reached. The unusual procedure of inviting a Charles