355
The form is now in general use, though it does not even now receive as full attention as might be wished, and as I hope it will receive in future. The reports, when received, are collated by Dr. Manson, the more important of them being published and presented to Parliament, but the publications would be more valuable if medical officers in the Colonies generally appreciated the object in view as fully as it has in some cases been recognised.
10. When the arrangements had been concluded with the Seamen's Hospital Society for making provision for a School of Tropical Medicine, I wrote on the 6th of July, 1898, to Lord Lister, then President of the Royal Society, telling him of what had been done, but adding that "I am not satisfied to rest at this point and wish to invite the co-operation of the Royal Society in taking further steps." I went on to suggest that a thorough investigation should be undertaken by scientific experts on the spot, into "the origin, the transmission, and the possible preventives and remedies of tropical diseases, especially of such deadly forms of sickness as the malarial and blackwater fevers prevalent on the West African Coast" and that the enquirers should be appointed by and take instructions from the Royal Society. I asked for a grant for the purpose from the funds of the Royal Society. promising that an equal amount would be forthcoming from Colonial funds; and suggested that a committee of the Royal Society should be appointed to confer with representatives of the Colonial Office on the subject.
The Council of the Royal Society immediately appointed a committee as proposed, and made an initial grant of £300 towards the object in view. The negotiations went forward, and eventually it was decided that two enquirers should be nominated by the Royal Society and one-a member of the Colonial Medical Service-by the Secretary of State, that the whole expenses of the third enquirer should be paid from Colonial funds, and that from those funds a sum not exceeding £2,400 should be contributed towards the expenses of the other two, the Royal Society contributing the balance estimated at £600. The enquirers were to take instructions from a committee, on which members of the Royal Society were to be supplemented by two representatives of the Colonial Office, one of then being Dr. Manson. Thus by September, 1898, arrangements had been made for instituting a School of Tropical Medicine, and a scientific enquiry into malaria.
11. Before tracing further the progress made in each direction it will be well to note how the necessary funds were provided and the expenditure allotted. Of the sum of £3,550, which was guaranteed to cover the cost of building and equipping the Tropical School, the Lords of the Treasury, in a letter dated 18th June, 1898, consented to con- tribute one half from Imperial funds, "on the understanding that such Imperial grant will defray the shares of all Exchequer-aided tropical Colonies and Protectorates in such initial cost, and that the remaining moiety thereof will be contributed by other Colonies and the Niger Coast Protectorate." This left to the Crown Colonies, likely to be benefited by the new proposals. to provide £1,775 for the Tropical School and £4,400 for the Malaria Commission, the total cost of which, including the expenses of all three enquirers, was finally estimated at £5,000, of which only £600 would be provided from Royal Society funds.
As the two objects were akin, I decided to ask the Crown Agents to open a common fund, and, taking into consideration what Colonies would be likely to reap most benefit from the proposals if successfully carried out, and what Colonies could afford to contribute most liberally, I invited contributions as under:----
Gambin
Sierra Leone
Gold Coast
Lagos...
Niger Coast Protectorate...
Ceylon...
Straits and Malay States... Hong Kong..
Trinidad
Jamaica
British Guiana Mauritius Fiji
L
200
300
1,000
1,000
111
1,000
650
650
500
500
+
500
500
150
100