PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
Reference :-
mmmmf mC.O. 885
24 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
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iii. In twelve of these cases the complaint was of weakness and slight diar- rhoea. In five cases the men complained of headache: in six of some abdominal pains in three of joint pains and in seven cases there were various irrelated complaints such as cough, bubo, &c.
:
iv. A certain degree of anæmia was present in practically all the cases. malarial parasites were found in any. The average blood-count was :-- Polymorphonuclear.
47%
V.
Lymphocytes.
28%
Large Mononuclear.
8%
The average temperature was 99-2 Fahr.
Eosinophile. 14%
No
Transitional, &c.
8%
vi. All cases were treated in hospital for a few days either with thymol or eucalyptus oil and chloroform, but, owing to the large number of patients, thorough treatment was not possible.
vii. I am convinced that ankylostomiasis is practically universal amongst the West African Frontier Force, to a moderate degree, and is responsible for much of the sickness they complain of."
6. V. Kaballa. Dr. J. Y. Wood.
"i. In reply to your reminder, of date 5th August, 1914, to Circular 37/1913, I have the honour to report cases of ankylostomiasis for the first six months of 1914, as under :—
Case I. K., male, 45 years apparently, admitted to hospital on 3rd March, 1914, with a history of protracted diarrhoea of about three months' duration. He was treated for ankylostomiasis, and was discharged on 1st April, 1914, much improved, having been pale and emaciated on admission.
Case II. B., male, 30 years of age apparently, admitted to hospital on 2nd March, 1914, complaining of pain over hepatic region. Pale and emaciated. Treated for this parasite, and discharged on the 19th March, 1914.
Cases III, IV., and V., were treated for this parasite amongst the out- patients.
ii. I regret I am unable to give any other details as I was not in charge during the first six months of 1914. I presume the diagnosis was made by micro- scopic examination of the fæces, but unfortunately no record is found of micro- scopic work during the period in question."
7. VI. Colonial Hospital, Freetown. Dr. H. E. Arbuckle.
"i. In accordance with Circular No. 37 of 1913, I have the honour to forward a report on the cases of ankylostomiasis met with in the Colonial Hospital, Free- town, for the first half of 1914.
ii. During this time there have been 841 in-patients, and of these 101 were found to harbour ankylostomes, that is 12%.
iii. These 101 patients were admitted, not for the parasitic disease, but for a variety of other complaints, as the following table of some of the cases will
show :-
Admitted for.
Ulcers and septic condition of feet and legs
Hernia
Elongated prepuce
Elephantiasis scroti
Pneumonia
Bronchitis.
Diarrhoea
Rheumatic pains in chest, &c.
Trypanosomiasis
Fracture of bone
Tuberculosis of lung or abdomen
Number.
11
9
8
6
5
Of the 101 cases of ankylostomiasis:
V.
Sierra Leoneans
Temnis
Mendis
Sherbros
Other tribes
35
24
20
7
21
Of all the cases in hospital, for the period in question, the following is the percentage of infected to the total number in each tribe :-
Nationality. Sierra Leoneans
Temnis
Mendis
Sherbros
Other tribes
Percentage.
57%
24.1%
328%
304%
132%
vi. These figures prove fairly conclusively that dwellers in Freetown are much less liable to infection than those natives are who live 'up country.'
is, in my opinion, due to the fact :-
This
(a) That most of the inhabitants of Freetown are in the habit of wearing some sort of foot-wear, and
(b) That in Freetown latrines or cess-pits are in almost universal use, so that there is little promiscuous out-door defæcation in the 'bush,' as is more or less the rule in the Protectorate. The habits of the inhabitants of the Protectorate are, amongst the Mendis, to defæcate into a stream if possible, or otherwise in the 'bush.' The Temnis, to a great extent, use cess-pits; yet the children do not, and it is in infancy and childhood that I believe infection takes place. While on duty in the Protectorate, I made an examination of the Bo school, and found, in an examination of only one specimen in each case, that 56% of the boys were infected with ankylostomes: they presented no symptoms ascribable to ankylostomiasis.
vii. Of the cases in hospital at Freetown, possibly not more than ten cases showed any symptoms due to ankylostomes, those symptoms which might be so ascribed being rheumatic pains and diarrhoea. In the majority of cases the para- site caused absolutely no symptoms.
viii. These patients were not examined specially for ankylostomes and if a careful search for ova in the fæces of the intern patients were made I think the percentage of positive results would be well over 50%-at least for the Protectorate natives.
8. VII. Central Gaol, Freetown. Dr. G. G Butler.
"i. The returns I am sending you form a side issue to the investigation that the Yellow Fever Commission asked me to undertake, and I shall have to send the complete returns to the Yellow Fever Commissioners.
*
*
"iii. Enumeration into nationalities.
Nationality.
Mendis
Timnis
Creoles
Susus
Gallinas
Limbah
Mandingos
Sherbros
Liberiane
4
iv. The following tables show the distribution of the nationalities of the total number of cases admitted into hospital and of the cases of ankylostomiasis amongst them :----
Nationality.
Of the 841 cases in hospital:-
Sierra Leoneans
Number.
423
120
61
23
24
17
173
Lokkobs
Congos Calabarese Konokris
Temnis
Mendis
Sherbros
Syrians
Europeans
Other native tribes
Positive. 62.7%
Negative.
37-3%
19
28
6
3
4
DOHHHOOLER |
CORBIGSOCHOOLLLOOO | # |
44
10
19
8
1
2
3
0
1
1
2
0
1
1
Krus Lagosian Benis Fantis
2
Konnoha
74
118
D 2