سياسيا
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
22 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
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according to the census, is 14,369. I am inclined to think this is under-estimated. It is difficult to find I examined 7,281 people and found 21 new and 7 old cases. these Gamans in their villages, as they leave for their farms at daybreak bringing (taking) their whole household, including their fowls, with them, and not returning
till dusk.
These 21 new cases are made up as follows:-
2 north country natives.
2 north country slaves.
4 children of north country slaves.
2 natives of Central Province, said to be Ashantis.
11 said to be Gamans.
Apart from the infected persons found in the villages around Saikwa and Pulliano, the other infected persons were found in villages on the main roads. All particulars of these infected persons will be found in the appendix to the report. Tsetse flies are found in Ganian, Palpalis, Fusca, and Longipalpis are numerous in the southern half of the division; the former two become less frequent as one proceeds north. Ilerds of Gaman cattle are constantly met with, especially in the open orchard country in the north of the division,
Zongos. There are four of these north country native settlements in the Province :-
Wenchi, Tekiman, Sunyani, Odumuse.
Wenchi Zongo is by far the largest, the population, according to the census. being 2,540; a large portion of this population is constantly changing. At certain times of the year, such as during the kola season, there are many more people to be found there than at others. I examined 1,727 people and found 10 suspicious cases, but was only able to verify six of these, as the others disappeared and could not be found for microscopic examination. These were all north country natives from Hausa, Moshi, and Wangara countries. The permanent settlers were not found infected. I believe the reasons for this are that the zongo is built in a fairly open piece of country, the Ashanti town intervening between the forest and the zongo; that the ground around the zongo, being constantly used for farming. is kept clean; that the permanent settler's movements are limited; that they wear a large amount of clothing, usually white in colour; that they have wells dug in the ongo from which they largely draw their water supply, thus avoiding having flies brought to the zongo by water-carriers; that when they do wash, they do so in their own compounds and not at the water-supply, which is a haunt of tsetse flies. The infected persons are generally found among the floating population, those who are constantly carrying loads and driving live-stock through the country.
Tekiman Zongo. This zongo is situated in open country and surrounded by farins. The population, according to the census, is given as 130. I examined 312 people, and found five suspicious cases; three I confirmed microscopically, the other two I failed to examine, as they ran away. Of the three cases found: one was a Hausa, one a Moshi, and one a Sierra Leone native. That this zongo must con- stitute a danger to the susceptible ones among the people of Tekiman Town I don't think there can be much doubt. The saving feature about the town is that the country around is fairly open and tsetse flies do not appear to be so numerous as, for instance, in Wenchi Town. Otherwise, I believe there would in time be just the same percentage of infections. It can be seen from the number of people examined that the zongo is rapidly increasing in size. No cases of the disease were found in Tekiman Town previous to my visit, and this year I found three, two in residents of the town and one in a young girl who lived in a village close by and who spends much of her time in Tekiman Town.
Sunyani Zongo. This is a small zongo at present, but it appears to be growing in size. It seems to he fairly free from tsetse flies, as it is to a certain extent protected by the large clearing made around the Government station. I examined 153 people this year and found no cases of the disease. Dr. Kinghorn found four cases in 1910: all four were north country natives. One of these died, two left the zongo, and the fourth received atoxyl treatment, is now apparently fit, and lives in Odumase Zongo.
Odumase Zongo. This is a small "bush "zongo; it is separated from Odumase Ashanti town by the market place. Bush and elephant grass are growing close up
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to the houses and Glossina palpalis is present. I found no cases here last year, am unable to give the number examined last year, as they are included in the returns for Sunyani town. This year I examined 80 people, and found five new cases and one old one, which was found in Sunyani Zongo in 1910. This gives the highest percentage of infections of any place in the Province. All five infected persons were north country natives. Two of the people I had under treatment in Sunyani in 1910 left and went to live in Odumase Zongo. applied to have these two forcibly brought back to Sunyani, and was unable to obtain permission. One returned of her own free will and obtained treatment and is still alive, the other was a dement and would not return. I tried to treat her in Odumase, but eventually gave up, as immediately on my arrival at the zongo she ran away to hide herself in the forest. This woman left Odumase after a time and died in a bush village near Kintampo. One of the cases found this year has recently died.
Prophylaxis.
Dr. Kinghorn said in his report in 1910-
The measure I think will be most easily applied and which will effect a great amount of good is the enforcement of clearings around all the villages and the water supplies, the ferries and the fords. If this is carried out intelligently it should be possible to protect these places from the flies, and thus in time bring about diminution in the incidence of the disease. The villages are habitually used as resting places by the floating population, amongst whom trypanosomiasis exists to some extent, and they frequently remain for a considerable length of time in one place. As I have pointed out, the difficulty of controlling this class of native is almost insurmountable over the greater part of the country, and every effort must be made to prevent them from acting as disseminators of the disease, as well as those cases which exist amongst the indigenous population. The clearings can be done by the villagers themselves without remuneration, and in most instances, if super- vised, would not entail a great amount of work. It is hopeless, of course, to expect that this work will be carried out without some persuasion. The general supervision of the clearings and the other measures must rest in the hands of the Medical Staff.”
The Commissioner of the Western Province wrote in 1911, when I was Medical Officer of Sunyani :-
-The following extracts from my report on my recent tour may be of interest to you, and you may consider it advisable to transmit them to the head of your Department. Sleeping sickness.—I enquired in Gaman and Wenchi into the result of the cases diagnosed last year by Dr. Kinghorn. The result is surprising and would tend to show that the disease is of a more virulent type than was originally suppose In Pulliano three of the diagnosed cases have died in March or April. In Seketia, two; in Korase, two; in Mengi, one, a stranger; and in Wenchi, out of seventeen cases all are dead except two, who are now in extremis. It is probable that in other Gaman villages and in Berekum there has been the same percentage of mortality, and it is impossible to conceive that with all this mortality there is a diminution in newly infected cases. I still think that Dr. Kinghorn's recommendation for the establishment of an observation station in Gaman or Wenchi is worthy of consideration, and that our joint recommendation for a native staff to travel and see to the making of clearings round villages, and the general improvements of towns and sanitation is the practical step which it is incumbent upon the Government to take.
Tekiman,
12 September, 1911.
***T. E. FELL,
C.W.P.A.
These clearings around villages recommended by Dr. Kinghorn and the Com missioners I entirely agree with, and last year I made recommendations of a similar nature, more extensive I must admit, but very necessary if they could be possibly carried out. After going very thoroughly through the Province. I must say that if any attempt has been made to carry out these recommendations, it has proved a failure; in a few villages it has been done, but has not been maintained, and if