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SIR.

71

No. 15.

RHODESIA.

THE BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA COMPANY to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received March 1,′ 1907.)

2, London Wall Buildings, London, E.C.,

February 28, 1907.

I AM directed to forward, for the information of the Secretary of State, the of the Minutes* of a meeting of my Directors, held on the 21st instant,

enclose with the documents relating thereto.

together

I am, &c.,

A. P. MILLAR,

Assistant Secretary.

SIR

75

Tanganyika Concessions, Limited, Kambove, November 9, 1906.

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your letter, dated October 1st. I have just returned from Kansanshi, and find awaiting me Dr. Massey's (the Medical Officer of this Company) report on his investigations on the Luapula River and the Baluba country.

I cannot minimise the extreme seriousness of the apparent rapid spread of the disease nor the very grave position we shall find ourselves in, should you decide to stop the exportation of North-Eastern natives both as workers and carriers of trans- port for this Company.

I am taking every precaution to prevent natives of North-Eastern Rhodesia becoming infected, and I will give to Dr. Noble every assistance and information that he may desire.

There are undoubtedly a number of North-Eastern Rhodesia natives who have been in infected areas; a list of names and villages of these natives shall be prepared and specially marked so that Dr. Noble can pay particular attention to them on their returns. Dr. Massey shall also as far as is possible examine them before leaving, and forward the results of such examination to your medical officer.

i......

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

C.O.885

18 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

SIR,

Enclosure 1 in No. 15.

(Annexure No. 4.)

(Received February 11, 1907.)

Administrator's Office, Fort Jameson, North-Eastern Rhodesia,

December 31, 1906.

I HAVE to forward a copy of a report received from the Manager of the Tanganyika Concessions in Katanga regarding the prevalence of sleeping sickness in that country. I have carefully considered the question of stopping the supply of labour from North-Eastern Rhodesia to Katanga, and have decided to allow it to continue, at any rate, for the present.

The Secretary

The British South Africa Company,

2, London Wall Buildings, E.C.

I am, &c.,

ROBERT CODRINGTON

PRINCIPAL MEDICAL OFFICER, Fort Jameson, to His HONOUR THE ADMINISTRATOR.

December 29, 1906.

Memorandum on Sleeping Sickness.

Dr. Massey's report on his investigations into the spread of sleeping sickness on the Lualaba River and its tributaries represents a very serious state of affairs. The report clearly shows that the disease is spreading slowly southwards along the sources of the rivers, and in short time will invade the actual area of operations of the Tanganyika Concessions, Limited, at Kambove and Ruwe. Between this area and North-Eastern Rhodesia there is constant communication kept up by natives of the Luapula Districts seeking work on the copper fields. In from two to three years the Luapula will become an infected area involving all villages within the fly belts on both banks of the river, and from there it will spread to Bangweolo and the Chambezi River into the heart of North-Eastern Rhodesia.

The question of stopping the labour supply from North-Eastern Rhodesia to the copper fields has been fully considered. I do not think this measure would have the smallest influence in preventing the disease from spreading to the Luapula, though it may delay it. When once on the Luapula the invasion of North-Eastern. Rhodesia is inevitable. The only way I can suggest of dealing with the situation on our side is for Dr. Noble, in conjunction with Dr. Massey, to send all cases returning to North-Eastern Rhodesia from infected areas in the Congo into villages remote from the fly.

• Not printed.

J. C. SPILLANE, Principal Medical Officer.

† Annexures 4, 5, and 6 only printed.

His Honour the Administrator, Fort Jameson.

I have, &c.,

HERBERT CAYLEY,

Assistant Manager.

REPORT on an Expedition to Bulubaland to Investigate Sleeping Sickness. October, 1906.

I. Introductory.

The prevalence of sleeping sickness on the Lower Congo, and its rapid extension to the Upper Congo gave just cause for a desire to know if the disease had reached the territory of the Company's operations. There was no information regarding the country south of Lake Kisali at the junction of the Lualaba with the Lufira. A considerable amount of food was being collected all along the River Lualaba to Lake Kisali, and large numbers of Kisali people were being used as porters, many of them coming as far south as Ruwe.

To prove the presence or absence of sleeping sickness in these parts, it was arranged by the Manager, Mr. George Grey, that the Medical Officer should visit the Bulubaland, and make investigations. It was arranged that this should be done in August, but owing to many delays, it was postponed until October.

In August reports were received from Mr. J. H. Hayes, stating that the people in the villages along the Lualaba were dying in large numbers, and Mr. Hayes went

so far as to say that he believed they were dying of sleeping sickness.

II. Method of Procedure.

It has now been well established that the carliest evidences of the disease are exhibited in the enlargement of the lymphatic glands. The posterior cervical glands of the neck are regarded as most diagnostic, in that they are least influenced by We possessed no apparatus for lumbar puncture nor for the centri- fugalisation of blood. Hence all our observations are based on gland palpation and gland puncture.

other causes.

III. Difficulties Experienced.

The principal one was lack of time. Then the natives were timid, and the greatest care was necessary to avoid alarming them. At Mazanguli there were about 60 porters from the Lufoi River, west of Lake Kasali. We managed to palpate them, but it was regarded inadvisable to puncture as this was their first visit, and might frighten them away. In some places it was even difficult to get near enough to feel their necks. Without a centrifuge it is impossible to make an accurate diagnosis in the advanced stages of the disease.

IV. Method of Obtaining Percentages.

It was quite impossible to see all the persons in a village. However, in each village visited, word was sent ahead to ask them to refrain from going to the fields,

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