The article presents the result of a critical evaluation of the clinical histories of 1240 cases of progressive paresis recorded in the S. Maria della Pietà (1922-1950) and reconstructs the scientific discussion about the result of malariatherapy and its action mechanism. The bibliographical study led to a regional characterization of the therapy in the scientific orientation and techiques. The authors are now working out the data, hoping in a future debate on the topic.
