Syphilis Wagner-Jauregg's 1917 treatment method, also known as
malariotherapy, involved the introduction of
Plasmodium vivax malaria via injection into patients with advanced stages of
syphilis. Successive rounds of treatment were required to fully eradicate the infectious bacteria, while simultaneously using
quinine to treat the malaria infection.
Effectiveness In 1921, Wagner-Jauregg reported impressive success and many other physicians attempting malaria-induced pyrotherapy made similar claims. Later analyses have shown this might not have been true since approximately 60% would relapse within 2 years and 3–20% died from the resulting fevers.
Psychiatry The success of malaria pyrotherapy against the insanity caused by neurosyphilis lead to an interest in using it for
psychiatry, especially for
schizophrenia. The risk of malaria was well-understood and many non-infectous agents were tried, including: • Biological agents: milk, chemically modified milk protein (Phlogetan),
tuberculin, chancre vaccine (Dmelcos), antityphus and smallpox vaccines, active saprophytic microbes (Saprovitan),
E. coli protein extract (Pyrifer),
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and
Salmonella typhi lipopolysaccharide (Pyrogenal [pirogenal]) developed in he 1950s by Moscow’s Gamaleya Institute directed by Juan Planelles.) == Citations ==