Full Citation

Title: The Burden of Early Exposure to Malaria in the United States, 18501860: Malnutrition and Immune Disorders

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2007

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Abstract: This article uses nineteenth-century evidence to calculate the impact of early exposureto malaria-ridden environments on nutritional status and the immune systemin America. I estimate the risk of contracting malarial fevers in the 1850s byusing correlations between malaria and environmental factors such as climateand geographical features. The study demonstrates that Union Army recruitswho spent their early years in malaria-endemic counties were 1.1 inches shorterat enlistment due to malnutrition and were 13 percent more susceptible to infectionsduring the U.S. Civil War as a result of immune disorders than were thosefrom malaria-free regions.

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Authors: Hong, Sok Chul

Periodical (Full): The Journal of Economic History

Issue:

Volume: 67

Pages: 1001-1035

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Health

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