PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
C.O. 885
23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO
52
"That it has become yet more clear that this infection is responsible for the greater part of the poverty and physical disability in his district, while following on this poverty and physical disability comes prædial larceny, which is rampant. He has no coolies under his charge." Dr. Moseley makes the following remarks:-
"Ankylostomiasis is becoming a serious menace to the health of the labouring classes; 633 cases were treated in the hospital during the past year, and this by no means represents the number of persons who were found to be harbouring the parasite, as patients admitted for other ailments were found to be infected.
"I have noticed that persons coming from the western end of the Island seem to suffer from a most intractable form of the trouble, that is most resistent to thymol. In point of fact I have not had the gratifying results that one reads of in text books, and that Medical Officers so frequently write of in their reports, in treating this disease with thymol. I have several coolie patients in hospital, who, during the course of their treatment, have had several ounces of the drug, whose stools still show the same number of ova; one lad had had nearly five ounces, and although his general appearances are much improved, there is no diminution in the number of ova present.
"I should think some legislation on this subject necessary, that is to compel a person, once ankylostoma has been diagnosed, to remain on treat- A person ment until he is medically certified as being free from the worms. suffering from an ankylostomic infection is as much a danger to the com- munity as a person suffering from yaws, or any other ordinary infectious ailment.
"
One may practically say that by far the larger number of cases of anæmia, debility, and pustular eruptions of the lower limbs that enter the hospitals are cases of hookworm infection; while many cases of dyspepsia, and even supposed rheu- matism are due to the same cause. The necessity for general treatment of this disease seems to be of much more importance and public utility than that of any
other.
The ideal localities for the development and spread of the hookworm are planta- tions on which bananas and cocoa trees are mixed, there being moisture, fresh air, and shade all combined.
3A.
RETURN SHOWING THE NUMBER OF SPECIMENS Examined anD THE NUMBER IN WHICH THE HOOKWORM OVA WERE FOUND AT THE SEVERAL PUBLIC GENERAL HOSPITALS FOR THE MONTHS OF APRIL, MAY, June, July, and AUGUST, 1913.
April.
May.
Jane.
July.
August.
No. Er
No. In.
No. Ex-
No. In. No. Ex-
Hospitale.
fected.
amined.
feated.
wmined.
No. In- No. Ex-
fected.
amined.
No. In- fected.
No. Ex-
No, In-
Morant Bay
Hordley... Port Antonio
Buff Bay Annotto Bay
Port Maria St. Ann's Bay
Cave Valley Falmouth
Montego Bay Lucen
www
Savanna-la-Mar Black River
Mandeville
Chapelton
Lionel Town ... Spanish Town... Linstead
Total
Percentage
of Number Bramined.
amined.
| » | | | | | | |--Creoler.
| 88 | | | ∞ | | 11 | 883a-
« |||||Coolies.
| | 10 | | | | | | |--
2 |
““ត ៩ | | | | | | | ឌ ||
112 84
88
29 228
I
-
76-78 85-29
|_ _|| || | || Creoles.
all will... ... | | | | | ❤č | Oreolen 28211 « | ...! | | 8x-Coolies.
| | | | = = | |
| វិ
Coolies.
Creolen.
Cooline.
amined.
J I I I I I I
|«xena |*|*~* |
FREE | |-~|~ 182
|||
vana|~|-~||
1981-1-18|| TEPAL
254
38 315 101 240 83
-81-1880-0
76.19 84.15
61 7% 316
169-88 88-54
1
T
fected.
18aRES Creoles.
Coolien.
**C||||||88886. Creolo
64 409
45 818
-
-70-81 177-78
२
SIR,
(Circular No. 1581.)
53
4.
Island Medical Office, Kingston,
1913. You will doubtless agree with me that it is desirable that every effort should be made to ensure the maintenance of good health among the coolies employed upon the various estates in Jamaica, and that the matter should receive early attention in view of the near arrival of a Commission appointed in India to investigate the conditions under which indentured immigrants live in Jamaica, a Commission that will doubtless make very careful enquiries with regard to the health of the immi- grants and the measures adopted in Jamaica for combatting two of the diseases which account for a very great percentage of the sickness among the indentured immigrants, namely, malaria and hookworm disease. I have, therefore, deemed it advisable to invite your consideration of the following preventive measures with a view to their adoption on the estates.
If the immigrant is kept in a good state of health it naturally follows that the work done by him will be the more efficient and he will not spend so much time on the sick list, during which period he is a loss to his employer.
1. With regard to Malaria.
It is most important that regular and systematic doses of quinine should be administered to the coolies on the estates. Every immigrant should be given a daily dose of five grains of quinine every morning.
A daily record of doses should be kept on each estate, showing that each coolie has had his dose regularly. The ground round barracks should be well bushed and kept bushed.
Pools and puddles should be filled in or drained and all other places in which mosquitoes can breed should be abolished.
The grounds should be kept in accordance with the Health Law (35 of 1910), and with the anti-mosquito by-laws made under Law 35 of 1910.
2. With regard to Hookworm Infection.
(a) The first and most important necessity is the provision of proper and suit- able latrine accommodation. This, I understand, has been arranged for, and the orders of the Medical Officers in charge of the estates given with regard to the proper keeping of these latrines should be strictly followed out.
The coolie should be compelled to use the latrines provided on the estates, and
if he does so one chief cause of the spread of the hookworm infection will be abolished, namely, the infection of the ground near and around coolie barracks.
Infection takes place chiefly through the exposed portion of the skin.
(b) The early treatment of all labourers suffering from hookworm infection is necessary in order that the immigrants may not develop" anæmia," which incapaci- tates them from work for some length of time, often ending in death, and financial
loss to the estate owners.
Estate owners are, therefore, urged to give the Medical Officers in charge of the estates every help in investigating and treating disease, and in procuring specimens of fæces of the labourers on the estates at such periods as they may be called for by Departmental Circular, in order that occasional examinations may be made with a view to finding out which of the labourers harbour the worm and which are free of infection.
(c) When found to be infected the labourer should be dosed with thymol under the directions of the Medical Officers, and the earlier the treatment takes place the better for the health of the labourer.
(d) When a Medical Officer in charge of an estate reports the estate as being badly infected with hookworm all labourers on such estate should be provided, at the expense of the estate owner, with shoes, and in all such cases Medical Officers will inform the Governor that such a course has been advised.
The wearing of putties or strips of oiled linen or cotton material round the legs below the knees is advisable where possible, and this also refers to labourers working on estates where cane is grown, in order to prevent the frequent attacks of cane itch.
(2) The following regulations should be carried out :-
How to Prevent Infection and how to Destroy the Worm.
1. All yards round houses and compounds should be kept clean and bush cut down so that the sun may dry up all moist ground.