PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
P
mmim C.O. 885
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC: COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
22 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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gation to be made by expert Medical Officers into the extent of sleeping sickness in the Colony and Protectorates aforesaid.
2. Keep each other informed of the incidence, extent, and possible spread of sleeping sickness in these Dependencies.
3. Treat patients suffering from sleeping sickness and take preventive measures against the disease according to the means at the disposal of the local Governments concerned.
4. Give instructions to their respective local authorities that natives of one Dependeney found to be suffering from sleeping sickness in the other shall be treated free of cost in accordance with the arrangements made under Section 3.
5. The two Governments shall have the right to turn back at the frontiers of the above-mentioned Dependencies native subjects of the other Power proved or suspected to be suffering from the disease.
6. The two Governments shall have the right to impose such restrictions on the frontier traffic as may be deemed necessary to prevent the spread of sleeping sickness, but they undertake to communicate to one another without delay the terms of any restrictions so imposed.
7. This Agreement comes into force on
This Agreement is concluded for a term of three years, and it will remain in force automatically for further periods of one year until denounced by one of the parties six months before the expiration of that year.
Enclosure 2 in No. 4.
A REPORT ON HUMAN TRYPANOSOMIASIS IN THE WESTERN PROVINCE OF ASHANTI,
I left Coomassie on the 7th of December, 1912, to investigate the condition of human trypanosomiasis in this Province, and to compare as far as possible my results with those of previous investigations.
Dr. Kinghorn started these investigations in 1910, I carried them on in 1911 and 1912, and Dr. Graves was to have continued the work; but after examining the inhabitants of the Ahafo district of the Province, he was recalled owing to the unfortunate invaliding of the Medical Officer at Sunyani.
This Province is bounded on the west by the French Colony of the Cote D'Ivoire; on the north by the Northern Province of Ashanti: on the east by the Central Province of Ashanti; and on the south by the Western Province of the Gold Coast Colony.
An excellent description of the country is to be found in Dr. Kinghorn's report of October, 1910. It is sufficient for me to say that the southern portion of the Province is occupied by the forest with thick undergrowth, and the northern portion with open orchard bush, and between the two, the gradual change from forest to open country.
The In the open orchard bush, belts of forest are met along the water-courses. Ashanti towns and villages are situated in small clearings in the forest and in the open country, generally near the forest belts and water-courses.
The rubber forest is situated in the following native divisions:-Berekum, southern portion of Gaman, and parts of Tekiman and Wenchi: it is outlined in red ink on the attached map. The Province covers an area of about 6,000 square miles, and is composed of six native divisions, each under an Omanhin or Head Chief. These six native divisions are: Berekum, Ahafo, Wenchi, Tekiman, Wam and Gaman. The inhabitants must not be looked on altogether as pure Ashantis. In the Ahafo division and the southern portion of Berekum the real Ashanti is to be found; but the Wams, Tekimans, and Wenchis, though closely allied to them, cannot be called true Ashantis. However, as the natives of these three divisions consider themselves Ashantis, I shall speak of them as such. The Gamans, living in the north of the Province, are even less closely allied to the Ashantis than the three races mentioned above.
In former times the Ashantis acquired by conquest or by purchase large numbers of slaves these came principally from the north and there are few tribes in the
The Agreement was signed on the 17th August, 1911.
15
Northern Territories of the Gold Coast which are not represented among Ashanti slaves. Large numbers of slaves also came from French country, Bontuku, in French territory, being Samori's great market-place for slaves after his numerous raids. In using the word "slaves" I refer to the north country natives who were originally brought into this country as slaves, but have since become free. Formerly, the male slaves did menial work for their Ashanti masters, and the females were either taken as wives by the Ashantis, sacrificed, or given as wives to their male slaves. The children of female slaves by Ashantis became Ashantis, the children of male slaves From the still remained slaves and continued as such to their parents' masters. above it can be seen that a large number of so-called Ashantis have north country blood flowing in their veins. As regards the children of slaves, I believe there was a high mortality amongst them, and at the present time I think most of the female survivors are given as wives to Ashanti men. Slavery has now been prohibited for years, and the last batch are mostly grown up some of the males have left the country, others have remained with their masters as domestic servants, and the women are mostly married. From the foregoing it will be seen that the number of pure north country natives living with the Ashantis is gradually diminishing. I mention the above as it bears on the views I wish to put forward as regards trypanosomiasis among the Ashantis. The Gamans living in British Gaman are not so intelligent as the Ashantis, and are on a lower plane generally; they are more of a farming than a fighting race. These Gamans also acquired large numbers of slaves with whom they inter-married: they also inter-married to some extent with the Berekums, Wams, Wenchis, and Tekimans, as their division is adjacent to that of the others. Apart from the natives just mentioned there are many strangers living in, or passing through, the Province, principally north country people. As a rule these people live in zongos when not travelling; there are four such settlements in the Province. The zongos are generally built by N.C. (north country) natives, either Hausas or Wangaras as a rule. They are situated on the main trade routes and in open country, so long as it is compatible with trade. Around these zongos the residents make their farms. The people found in them may be divided into two classes :-
(1) The householders and their dependants. The permanent residents once they settle down, provided trade is satisfactory, generally live within the limits of their compound, the market-place, the mosque and the courthouse. They build large com- pounds with many small rooms, which they rent to the second class. When trade becomes brisk, other tribes than the Wangaras and Hausas frequently put up buildings and form small settlements of their own.
(2) The floating population. This consists of a very mixed lot: among them at different times may be found natives from most countries in West Africa, many from the north who have travelled great distances. These people are in the zongo one day and away the next, working the transport of the country. As a rule they are wild, many wear little clothing, and are inclined to run away at the approach of a white man, rendering a thorough examination of these zongos extremely difficult. Even when suspicious cases are found, only a few can be got for microscopic examina- tion. This second class, among whom are many trypanosome carriers, are, I believe, at the root of human trypanosomiasis in this Province, and I may add, the same remark applies to that portion of the Central Province which I had the opportunity of examining last year.
Tsetse flies.-Dr. Kinghorn, in his report in 1910, gave a detailed account of the distribution of tsetse flies in this Province; to this I have very little to add. During the season December to March, glossina were rarely seen owing to the harmattan and the dry weather: in April they were occasionally met with, and in May they became troublesome. While travelling through the Ahafo division in April I only came across one glossina, a palpalis, in Kukoum, while other flies, such as Hippocentrum, were numerous. During the rains Glossina palpalis have been much more troublesome on the new-made roads through the forest than they used to be on the old dark bush roads : this is very noticeable on the new main Sunyani road. The following is a list of tsetse flies caught while on tour:—
Glossina palpalis.
70,76,
2.11
1
1
1
1 1
++
J
1
J} }
Berekum division:-
Sunyani.
between Sunyani and Tanaso.
between Tanaso and Nquanta.
Nquanta Rest House.
between Tekimentia and Dema.
: