Each degree rise of body temperature reduces the viral load in our blood by 200. This is much better and safer than a dose of the toxic anti viral chemicals that we use today. Please don’t laugh. This has won the 1927 Nobel Prize for Wagner-Jauregg of Austria.
This beneficial effect of fever was recorded by Hippocrates and Galen 3000 years back. In 1876, Russian scientist Rosenbaum induced fever in psychotic individuals by using Malaria and Typhoid.
Mental Asylums were places for exotic medical experiments in those days. It was established that fever cures psychosis. Pyrotherapy became the standard protocol for curing psychosis.
In 1905, spirochetes were discovered as the cause of Syphilis. They caused Neuro syphilis- a severe form of psychosis and are sensitive to temperature.
Ronald Ross has been awarded a Nobel Prize in 1901 for discovering Plasmodium as the cause of Malaria.
Wagner-Jauregg, an Austrian Psychiatrist, in his classic paper described that an attack of Malaria coincided with reduction of psychosis. He would inject Plasmodium Vivax, recently discovered by Ronald Ross to induce high fever in his asylum cases and could cure 60% of his targets. Then he would cure their Malaria with anti malarial like quinine.
This won him the 1927 Nobel Prize for Medicine. After the discovery of Penicillin, pyrotherspy for psychosis was discontinued
So, next time, parents of your pediatric patients get anxious over their Child’s repeated fever, assure them that fever is nature’s own antiviral. Let it work for 3 days before we should reduce it.
But that would be a tall task.
Dr Ramakanta's Ideas 