PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O.8
885
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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heen received from the Royal Society and of expressing my sense of the valuable services rendered by Dr. Zammit as member of the Commission.
I have, &c.,
22031
No. 120.
WAR OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.
(Received June 21, 1907.)
ELGIN.
War Office, London, S.W., June 20, 1907. SIR,
I AM commanded by the Army Council to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 14th June, No. 17556,* and in reply to acquaint you that the Council concur in the proposal to express to the Royal Society the appreciation of the Departments concerned, of the skill with which the work of the Mediterranean Fever Commission has been carried out under the direction of that Society.
I am also to acquaint you that the expression of Lord Elgin's appreciation of the services rendered by the military members of the Commission has been received by the Council with much gratification.
I am, &c.,
25399
SIR,
No. 121.
ADMIRALTY to COLONIAL OFFICE.
(Received July 18, 1907.)
R. II. BRADE.
Admiralty, July 17, 1907. WITH reference to your letter, No. 17556, of the 14th ultimo,* I am commanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to acquaint you, for the information of the Secretary of State for the Colonies, that they fully concur in his proposal to express to the Royal Society their Lordships' appreciation of the skill with which the work of the Mediterranean Fever Commission has been carried out. The results of their inquiries have already proved of the greatest service to the officers and men of His Majesty's navy serving on the Mediterranean station.
I am further to request that you will inform Lord Elgin that they note with satisfaction his appreciation of the services of the naval members of the Commission.
25993
No. 122.
I am, &c.,
C. I. THOMAS.
THE ACTING GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE. (Received July 22, 1907.)
[Answered 24 March, 1908; 40299 in Miscellaneous No. 224.]
(No. 124.)
MY LORD,
The Palace, Valletta, July 17, 1907.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's despatch. No. 81, of the 18th ultimo,† forwarding copies of the sixth and seventh parts of the report of the Commission appointed to investigate Mediterranean fever.
2.
The question of eliminating goats infected with Mediterranean fever and preventing healthy goats from becoming infected, which is dealt with in para- graphs 2 to 6 of your Lordship's despatch, has engaged the serious attention of this Government ever since the discovery of micrococcus melitensis in goats milk. While
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it seems tolerably certain that if all the infected goats are eliminated, Mediterra- nean fever will disappear from among the civil population of the Islands, as it has done in the case of the navy and army, the question of the best way to bring about that result is surrounded by a good many difficulties.
3. Perhaps it will be convenient if I state here the steps which have already been taken by this Government.
4. Shortly after the discovery of micrococcus melitensis in goats' milk, instruc- tions were given that in all Government institutions the milk should be boiled before being consumed. At the same time a leaflet was printed in vernacular informing the public of the discovery made by the Mediterranean Fever Commission, and of the desirability of boiling all milk before using it, which was distributed all over the island and published in the press.
5. Thereupon an article appeared in the "Malta e suc Dipendenze," in which it was stated that "the prime cause of the fever prevailing in Malta is to be sought in the institution of the drainage system in Malta, and it is entirely useless to seek for it elsewhere. We say the fever prevailing in Malta,' without distinguishing
it by the title of Malta fever,' because the fever in Malta has nothing special about it, but it is the fever which exists wherever there is a very bad system of drains like ours.
If, therefore, it is desired to eradicate this evil really and efficaciously,
it is above all necessary to reform our whole system of drainage, which is the prime cause of this evil." The absurdity of this statement is obvious to those who have taken the trouble to study the question, but unfortunately there are large numbers of ill-informed persons who believe anything that they read in the papers.
6. In May, 1906, it was decided to publish, in English, Italian and Maltese. a pamphlet* drawn up by the Chief Government Medical Officer, on the milch-goat as a factor in the propagation of remittent fever, a copy of which I enclose. Copies were also sent to the Archbishop Bishop, and the assistance of His Grace was solicited in making the contents widely known through the medium of the parish priests. His Grace promised his assistance, but, as far as I am able to ascertain, little or nothing has been done by the parish priests in the direction indicated.
7. At the same time a sub-committee of the Executive Council, consisting of the Crown Advocate, the Comptroller of Charitable Institutions, and the Chief Govern- ment Medical Officer was appointed to consider what steps should be taken for isolating, and, if necessary, destroying infected goats, and what compensation, if The sub-committee were also any, should be paid to the owners of the goats. requested to communicate with the principal goat-owners, and explain to them that the action which the Government proposed to take was in their interest, as well as in the interest of the general public.
8. The report of the sub-committee, a copy of which I enclose, was considered by the whole council, and, in view of the considerable expenditure involved, it was decided to take no steps in the direction of isolating animals which merely give a serum reaction, but that if an animal was found to be excreting micrococcus meli- tensis in its milk, it should be slaughtered and compensation" should be paid to the owner at the rate recommended by the sub-committee.
9. The Chief Government Medical Officer explained that, owing to the large number of goats in the island, it was impossible for the Public Health Department to inspect them all regularly; but stated that whenever an unusual prevalence of Mediterranean fever was observed in any particular locality, the goats in that locality were inspected, and the Council decided to continue that system for the present.
10. With reference to paragraph 3 of your Lordship's despatch.† I enclose copy of a memorandum by Professor T. Zammit, which is of considerable interest, and may possibly modify your Lordship's views as to the necessity of sending veterinary surgeons to Malta.
11. As Professor Zammit observes, the problem before the Government is a very clear one, and the difficulties in the way of getting rid of infected goats are mainly of two kinds, viz. :—
12.
(a) financial;
(b) difficulties connected with local tradition and sentiment.
As regards (a), it is stated in the memorandum of the Malta Fever Com- mittee of the Royal Society, enclosed with your Lordship's despatch,† that there
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• Not reprinted.
† No. 119.
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