History of malaria and brain which are the most constant post-mortem indications of chronic malaria infection. He related the prevalence of malaria in swampy areas to the presence of flies and recommended swamp drainage to prevent it. In the nineteenth century, the first drugs were developed to treat malaria and parasites were first identified as its source. French chemist Pierre Joseph Pelletier and French pharmacist Joseph Bienaimé Caventou separated in 1820 the alkaloids cinchonine and quinine from powdered fever tree bark, allowing for the creation of standardized doses of the active ingredients. Prior to 1820, the bark was simply dried, ground to a
Diagnosis of malaria microscope and centrifuge that can be deployed to rural areas in the third world. "Plasmodium malariae" and "P. knowlesi" (which is the most common cause of malaria in South-east Asia) look very similar under the microscope. However, "P. knowlesi" parasitemia increases very fast and causes more severe disease than "P. malariae", so it is important to identify and treat infections quickly. Therefore, modern methods such as PCR (see "Molecular methods" below) or monoclonal antibody panels that can distinguish between the two should be used in this part of the world. For areas where microscopy is not available, or where laboratory