PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
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18
No. 16.
INDIA OFFICE to COLONIAL OFFICE.
(Received 25th March, 1914.)
[Answered by L.F. transmitting a copy of No. 42.]
SIR,
India Office, Whitehall, London, S.W., 25th March, 1914. WITH reference to my letter of the 25th October last,* on the subject of the suggested inquiry into the etiology and prevention of yellow fever, I am directed by the Secretary of State for India in Council to forward, for Mr. Harcourt's information, a copy of a letter received from the Royal Society, under date of 9th March.
The questions referred to the Society by this Office were, first, whether they would recommend an inquiry separate from that committed to the West African Yellow Fever Commission, and, secondly, whether they would be prepared to under- take it. They do not in their present letter specifically reply to the first of these questions, but it appears reasonable to conclude from the terms of the letter that they are of opinion that a special inquiry such as that outlined by them is desir- able, apart from the operations of the West African Commission.
The suggestion that such an inquiry should be held originated in Major James's report on "The Protection of India from Yellow Fever," an extract† from which is attached to this letter for convenience of reference. The views expressed by Major James as to the need for an inquiry and as to the position of India in regard to it have been accepted both by the Government of India and by the Secretary of State. For the reasons stated in the extract, His Lordship would not be prepared to sanction the initiation of the inquiry solely or principally at the expense of Indian revenues.
I am, therefore, to request that, as proposed in Mr. Lambert's letter No. 33010 of the 10th October, 1913, the Governments of the Colonies and Dominions that are exposed or are likely to be exposed to the occurrence of the disease may be addressed with the view of ascertaining whether and to what extent they are prepared to contribute to the cost of an inquiry. I am to add, with regard to the last sentence of that letter, that the true measure for fixing the proportionate shares of the cost would appear to be rather the degree to which the various countries are or are likely to be affected by the disease, and to be benefited by an investigation of it, than the amount of their total revenues.
Pending the result of this reference, Lord Crewe will consult the Government of India as to the share that they are prepared to take in the proposed inquiry.
I have, &c.,
T. W. HOLDERNESS.
SIR,
Enclosure 1 in No. 16.
The Royal Society, Burlington House, London, W., 9th March, 1914. ADVERTING to your letter of 25th October last, on the subject of the protec- tion of India from yellow fever, I am directed by the President and Council of the Royal Society to inform you that they have taken the opinion of their Tropical Diseases Committee upon the request contained in your letter under reference for advice as to the best method of securing an inquiry into the etiology and prevention of yellow fever, with especial regard to the protection of India from invasion by that disease.
Their Committee has now reported; and the President and Council have directed me to lay before you the following proposals, based upon their Committee's recommendations.
The Royal Society is prepared to undertake the direction of a separate inquiry ms suggested in your letter under reference, in accordance with the following scheme and estimate of cost:-
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1. That four principal investigators be appointed, of whom two should be medical man with bacteriologists, one an entomologist, and one epidemiological experience, if possible.
2. That there should be four trained assistants.
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3. That Major S. R. Christophers, I.M.S., be invited to act as Director of the inquiry; and that, in the event of his services being secured, he should be consulted as to the selection of the remaining three investigators. Council are of opinion that at least two of the principal investigators should be officers of the Indian Medical Service.
4. After consideration of the conditions under which the inquiry would have to be conducted, the Council are of opinion that a sum of £12,000 per annum for three years would be required for salaries, materials, and working expenses; in addition to the premiums for special insurance of the lives of the men engaged.
5. The Council recommend that application be made to the Foreign Office to obtain facilities for conducting investigations in such locality as may be ultimately selected in Central America.
In the event of this scheme commending itself to the Secretary of State for India, the Council propose to entrust the general direction of the inquiry to a special Committee acting as a Sub-Committee of the Royal Society's Committee for Tropical Diseases; and to place the investigators under the immediate control of that special Committee.
The Under-Secretary of State for India.
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SIR,
No. 17.
I am, &c.,
JOHN ROSE BRADFORD.
THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNORS AND BRITISH RESIDENT.*
[Answered by Nos. 32, 33, 34, 37, 39, 40, 44, 47, 52, 53, 58, 61, 76, and 84.]
(Circular.)
Downing Street, 25th March, 1914.
I HAVE the honour to transmit to you the accompanying copies of the Report of the Advisory Committee for the Tropical Diseases Research Fund for the year 1913,† which has been presented to both Houses of Parliament.
2. Five years have now passed since, in a Circular despatch of the 11th of March, 1909, my predecessor expressed his opinion of the importance of the work done by means of grants from the Tropical Diseases Research Fund and under the supervision of the Advisory Committee, and invited the Governments which then contributed to the Fund to continue their contributions for a further period of five years. Since 1909, as will have been seen from the Annual Reports issued by the Advisory Committee, the work in question has steadily increased, and there can be no doubt of the great importance and value of the investigations which are rendered possible by the existence of the Fund.
*Sent to Gambia, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, Ceylon, Hong Kong, Malay States, Straits Settlements, British Guiana, British Honduras, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Windward Islands (Grenada and St. Vincent), Trinidad, Fiji, and Zanzibar.
+ [Cd. 7281], March, 1914.
† Appendix VIII. to [Cd. 4099], February, 1910.
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action in others," and as regards the second auspices of the Royal Society," in the sub-enclosure in 12909.
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(2) In the second place it must
recommendation
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