47
32
46
For many years workers in helminthology have laboured under the difficulty, common to other branches of medical research, of obtaining access to original com- The British Medical Association has, with munications in periodical literature. a small grant, enabled Mrs. H. M. Williams, a voluntary worker, to continue, under my supervision, the compilation of a Guide to the location of medical periodical literature in the various libraries of London and the Provinces.
Dr. Geoffrey Vevers, the Demonstrator in the Department, has made a syste- matic examination of over six hundred animals, mostly from the Tropics, which died in the Zoological Gardens during the past year. This work has given him not only valuable individual experience of the various groups of helminths, but has also provided several interesting examples of living parasites of medical interest, which have been brought under the notice of the students of the School. Valuable material has also thereby been acquired for the study of life cycles of the migrations of helminths within the host, and of the reactions of the hosts to parasites. From this source a valuable strain of Ancylostoma ceylanicum has been established for A reprint of a paper published by purposes of future teaching and research. Dr. Vevers* is appended.
I am, &c.,
of these contained protozoal organisms, and the material thus obtained was used for teaching purposes and for research work.
Other examinations have been made from time to time as required, such as the examination of pulp from spleen puncture for Leishmania`donovani, and scrapings from sores for Leishmania tropica.
4. Research Work.-Major J. A. Sinton, V.C., M.D., I.M.S., has been engaged along with Dr. J. C. Thomson in original investigations on the cultivation of Leishmania donovani, and the possibility of infecting laboratory animals, such as mice and rats, from the cultures.
Dr. A. Robertson, Demonstrator in Protozoology, has been investigating the increase in virulence of strains of trypanosomes in laboratory animals. He has also been working on the so-called resting stages of trypanosomes in the tissues. Some work has also been done on the modes of infection of amoebic dysentery. The results of these investigations will be published in due course.
J. G. THOMSON, M.A., M.B., Ch.B.,
Director of Protozoology.
63764
Enclosure 3 in No. 26.
R. T. LEIPER.
REPORT BY DR. J. G. THOMSON, DIRECTOR OF PROTOZOOLOGY, FOR THE Half-Year ENDING 30TH NOVEMBER, 1920.
THE work done by this Department during the past six months may be conveniently grouped under four headings, viz., General and Advanced Classes, Examinations of Suspected Materials for the Hospital, and Research Work.
1. General Teaching. Two classes, the first comprising fifty students and the second seventy-two, have been taught during the period as part of the ordinary three months' course of the School. These numbers constitute a record, for the School.
The part of this three months' course which is devoted to protozoology is of three weeks' duration, and this necessarily limits the amount of ground which can be covered. As a result, the course is practically limited to the consideration of the human protozoa, emphasis naturally being laid on those of pathogenic importance, while the more important of the animal protozoa, from the point of view of their morphological similarity to the human parasites, are briefly mentioned.
given in the examina- The course is eminently a practical one. Instruction tion of human stools with a view to the detection and diagnosis of the intestinal 'The methods parasites, such as Entamoeba histolytica, Lamblia intestinalis, etc. of staining blood films are shown to illustrate malarial parasites, trypanosomes, piroplasms, and any other material that may come to hand.
Microscopic demonstrations of stained specimens are given daily to illustrate the work already covered, and these demonstrations are continued by way of revisal two or three times a week during the remainder of the three months' course, in order that each student may have every opportunity for studying the important parasites at leisure.
2. Advanced Teaching.-Ten advanced students have received instruction in the departmental laboratories in the last six months.
The work done entirely practical and follows in natural sequence the work of the general class. The routine examination of stools is particularly emphasized, and the students are taught the methods of fixing and staining fæcal films. Methods of wet fixation, and embedding of tissues, are shown, while the students cut their own sections, stain, and mount them. Further, the students are encouraged to draw their preparations, both freehand and with the aid of the camera lucida.
The students are taught to prepare culture media, and are shown how to grow, among other things, the malarial parasites, trypanosomes, and Leishman-Donovan bodies.
3. Examination of Suspected Materials.--Nearly one thousand stools from the Hospital have been examined to aid the clinical diagnosis of the cases. Many
*Not printed here.
No. 27.
MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE TROPICAL DISEASES RESEARCH FUND. HELd at the Colonial OfficE ON THE 18TH OF DECEMBER, 1920.
Present:
SIR J. WEST RIDGEWAY, Chairman. SIR H. J. Read.
SIR J. ROSE BRADFORD.
SIR THOMAS BARLOW.
PROFESSOR J. W. STEPHENS.
MR. JEFFRIES, Secretary.
THE minutes of the previous meeting* were confirmed.
2. The Committee proceeded to consider the financial position of the fund, and the grants to be made for the coming year. In view of the improved position resulting from the increased contributions promised by the Colonies and Protec- torates, the Committee decided to increase the grant made to the Quick Laboratory at Cambridge to £300 a year, and to make no change in the grants (£1,000 each annually) to the London and Liverpool Schools of Tropical Medicine.
3. Certain papers which had been referred to the Committee by the Colonial Office were discussed.
4. The Committee directed that a letter should be sent to Sir Havelock Charles to the effect that, although the Government of India had now ceased to contribute to the Fund, the Committee would be glad if he could continue to attend at the meetings and give the benefit of his advice and assistance.
2214
SIR,
II. SLEEPING SICKNESS.
No. 28.
SOUTHERN RHODESIA.
THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received 14th January, 1916.)
2, London Wall Buildings, London, E.C., 13th January, 1916. I AM directed to refer to your letter of the 27th January last, on the subject of various points arising out of the report by the Inter-Departmental Committee on Sleeping Sickness, ‡ and to enclose, for the information of the Secretary of State, a copy of a letter, dated the 23rd November last, which has been received from the Administrator of Southern Rhodesia transmitting the information asked for in paragraph 5 of your letter.
* No. 22.
No. 5 in Miscellaneous No. 315.
‡ [Cd. 7349].
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
[ ། ། །
C.O.
Reference :-
885/25
PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO