PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
22 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-[
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2. I note that with regard to clearing operations (paragraph 8 of the Governor's despatch) it is proposed to clear 200 or 300 yards on each side of two main roads. To prevent disappointment it is advisable to say that such an experiment was tried in German East Africa, and that strips of clearing 300 metres in width were found insufficient to keep G. morsitans from the road where the experiment was tried. It is, of course, possible that strips 300 yards wide might suffice on these Nyasaland roads.
On the general question of clearing, I feel strongly that it is owing to our ignorance of the precise needs of G. morsitans that we have to make a clean sweep of the woody vegetation, which not only is very expensive to carry through and maintain, but also tends to render districts waterless and unproductive, as is indi- cated in some of the present memoranda. Consequently, I consider that clearing should not be turned over to an administrative officer with instructions to remove the vegetation for such and such a breadth, but should be conducted in every case as an experiment, the strip of clearing being gradually increased in one trial so as to determine the precise width which is required, and, in a second, selected kinds of shrubs or small trees being alone removed, with intent to discover which kinds are essential to the fly and to effect economy in future operations. The width of clear- ing necessary probably varies with the type of vegetation, the locality, and other To give a personal experience, I had an opportunity of supervising a clearing in Uganda, for G. palpalis, on each side of a river. When the clearing on one side was completed the flies disappeared from both sides. Obviously, the character of the vegetation on the side which was untouched was not such as to supply the fly's needs. Unfortunately, no serious attempts have ever been made to ascertain what must be removed and what may be left.
factors.
3. Dr. Prentice proposes that, to free certain areas of game, Europeans be invited to shoot, on the understanding that ivory is shared with the Government. Some such arrangement was made in the Sebungwe district of Southern Rhodesia, with the result that elephants were shot and antelope went free. I imagine that the same would happen in Nyasaland. If the natives are to account for the ante- lope, as I gather Dr. Prentice suggests, could they not be trusted to drive away the elephant at the same time? I am not here suggesting that the elephant should be protected I am aware from personal experience that they do immense damage to the native crops-but that, since antelope are known to harbour dangerous trypano- somes, and elephants are at present only under suspicion among other wild mammals, it would be unfortunate to adopt a plan whereby elephant would be almost certainly wiped out, while antelope might only suffer some inconsiderable diminution in numbers.
4. Dr. Davey writes:-The entire medical staff of Nyasaland are in disagree- ment with the Royal Society's Commission as to sleeping sickness being an old disease in Nyasaland-I would point out that Dr. Shircore, who was on sleeping sickness duty in Nyasaland, and gave evidence before the Committee, when asked his opinion on that point, replied: "I regard it as an old-established disease." mention this because the statement that local medical opinion is unanimous might be held to carry weight. Dr. Allan Kinghorn, whose work was, and is being, done in the adjoining country of North-Eastern Rhodesia, and who has a large practical acquaintance with human trypanosomiasis both in West and East Africa, writes that "the history of the disease is not consistent with the theory that it is a new importation to Northern Rhodesia," and it will hardly be held that the conditions in these conterminous districts are unlike.
5. With regard to the proposed inoculation experiments, I agree with the Medical Officers who say that the investigations will last some months, and will need at least two Medical Officers, a laboratory, efficient assistants, a good supply of experimental animals, &c. I think it important that the experiments should be in the charge of someone who is familiar with experimental work of the king, and if The Acting such a man is not now available, would suggest it be postponed. Principal Medical Officer mentions the number of guinea-pigs and rabbits available. To make these experiments comparable with those of the Royal Society's Com- mission, and at the same time follow one who has a large experience of this work, I suggest that the blood of the healthy natives or animals be first put into the goat, monkey, and dog, as was done by Sir David Bruce's Commission. He found guinea- pigs somewhat refractory.
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Dr. Stannus advances the criticism that, even if more species of wild mammals were found to harbour pathogenic trypanosomes, knowledge would not be much advanced, because there is no definite proof that any animal trypanosome is the same as the human trypanosome. This would have weight if we were seeking only reservoirs of the human trypanosome, but trypanosomes pathogenic to domestic animals are also in question.
6. Many of us have thought of the condemned criminal experiment advocated by Dr. Barclay, and have only refrained from advising it from the belief that it would not commend itself to the higher powers. It is, of course, an experiment which, if the result were positive, would be crucial.
7. In some of the memoranda matters are discussed which were under con- sideration for some months by the Sleeping Sickness Committee. It would serve no useful purpose to refer to these.
45568
I have, &c.,
ARTHUR G. BAGSHAWE,
Director.
No. 97.
NYASALAND.
THE IMPERIAL BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received 19th November, 1914.)
SIR,
[Copy to Tropical Diseases Bureau, 21st December, 1914. L.F.]
British Museum (Natural History),
Cromwell Road, London, S.W.,
November 18th, 1914.
I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 28th October (No. 39721/1914),* enclosing a copy of a despatch from the Governor of Nyasaland, dealing with the Report of the Inter-departmental Committee on Sleeping Sickness.‡
2. So far as the control of the tsetse-fly is concerned, the doctors' reports attached to the despatch do not appear to contain any material contribution towards a solution of the problem, apart from Dr. Prentice's advocacy of the wholesale destruction of game in the Marimba Division.
3. Dr. Prentice's undoubted earnestness of purpose, to which the Governor bears testimony, has unfortunately rather carried him away and led him, in his various contributions to this question, to certain sweeping conclusions for which there does not appear to be any adequate evidence, and I am of opinion that a critical examination of the facts would show that his scheme is unlikely to produce those far-reaching benefits which he claims for it. It seems hardly necessary to discuss his arguments here in detail, as most of these contentions have been fully considered already by the Inter-departmental Committee; but it is to be hoped that, if it is proposed to take any action along these lines, the area to be dealt with will first be investigated by some experienced Medical Officer or other scientific man.
4. There are, however, two points to which attention might be drawn. In the first place, the policy of simply throwing open the game to natives as a means of eradicating tsetses has already had a fair trial in Nyasaland, and has admittedly proved ineffective. Only organised and sustained operations are likely to be success- ful in such sparsely populated areas, and these will necessarily involve expenditure. 5. The second point concerns the suggestion that European hunters could be induced to assist in the elimination of the game, by the remission of the shooting licence, and the offer of a half share of any ivory obtained. In this connection the experience of the British South Africa Company in the Sebungwe District should be of interest. Some time ago I was informed by one of their officials that the throwing open of the game in that district had practically been a failure, for com- paratively few sportsmen had availed themselves of the facilities, while the pro- fessional hunters had only remained so long as there were elephants to shoot.
• No. 92A.
† No. 92.
[Cd. 7349], May, 1914.