[Thijsse, teacher of nature, teacher of malaria]

The start of organised malaria control in The Netherlands originated from an epidemic that became apparent in 1919. Shortly thereafter the Commission for Malaria Control realised the need for involvement of the population in the endemic area of North-Holland province. Education and propaganda would make them alert to reduce the risk of infection and aware of the need for medical diagnosis and treatment. The commission called upon Dr. Jac. P. Thijsse, a professional educator who had just received an honorary doctor's degree at the University of Amsterdam for his excellent work on bringing nature and field biology to the attention of the general public. He had founded the Society for Nature Conservation. Thijsse was invited to write a book on malaria, for use at primary school level. The booklet was called 'About mosquitoes and malaria' and it was widely used by teachers and pupils. Thijsse was also instrumental in the making of a propaganda film on malaria and its control. It was acclaimed by visiting malariologists from abroad for its quality, and it was watched with astonishment by the people in rural North-Holland. Thijsse was a member of the scientific Malaria Commission for five years. His profound knowledge about flora and fauna made him an expert in predicting the chances of mosquito breeding in polder canals with fresh or brackish water. After his resignation he was nominated president for a committee to organise a contest for a new propaganda poster. He passed away in 1945, just before a new epidemic would strike the war-exhausted population of the coastal provinces. It would have been a disappointment to him, because he had strongly believed that the scientific and organising power of the Malaria Commission would be successful in bringing the fever curse to a halt. This epidemic was the last one, and whatever the cause, malaria had disappeared from the Netherlands in 1960.