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(b) For the compulsory clearing of all jungle around villages and watering places.
(c) For the power to remove villages from contact with “fly."
IV. For the declaring of any area contiguous to a sleeping sickness area to be a guard area, at certain points on the outside borders of which all goods in transit will have to be changed to other carriers living on the side to which the goods are going, and no natives will be allowed to leave or enter this area without a pass.
V. To make it a punishable offence to wittingly engage a native from sleeping sickness or guard area for any employment outside of that area.
These rules are the same as those indicated in my letter of 6th December last. Passes will not generally be given, but as the line is in high country, where there is no danger of infection, a certain amount of discretion given to pass officers (Native Commissioners) at the changing stations, to allow carriers to accompany their masters to points across the line, but situated close to it, would prevent the rules from being vexatious.
As more is known of the disease it seems to be more certain that Pulpalis is the only really dangerous carrier of it, and if this should be found to be the case, a knowledge of the distribution of this fly would probably show that, if the disease had not actually nearly reached its limits, at least there would be few places where sleeping sickness need be feared. Until this is known regulations must be made on the assumption that the means of infection may exist almost anywhere, and that the only way of preventing its spread is to prevent the movement of infected people; this, when infection at first is not easy to be detected, practically means the preven- tion of the movement from place to place of all people living in an infected or suspected area.
Within North-Eastern Rhodesia we can control properly recruited labour and general transport, and also that independent movement of natives which is confined to our territory, but I would repeat what I said in my letter of 6th December last, that the independent movement set up by the offer of lucrative employment beyond our borders can only be controlled by the co-operation of the neghbouring terri- tories. This movement need not be stopped, and I am sure need not be diminished, but it should be under control, and it should not be difficult to arrange that that control shall be effective.
By next mail I will send you the proposed regulations for this country, and a note of how I think the emigration of our natives should be regulated.
I am, &c.,
L. A. WALLACE,
SLEEPING SICKNESS IN NORTH-EASTERN RHODESIA.
REPORT BY THE PRINCIPAL MEDICAL OFFICER.
I. Introductory.
Contents.
Administrator.
II. The conditions found in the Congo and their bearing upon the question
of labour and transport from North-Eastern Rhodesia.
III. The systematic examination of the Anglo-Congolese border.
IV. The distribution of Glossina in North-Eastern Rhodesia.
V. Measures adopted.
VI. Expenditure.
VII. Regulations.
VIII. Remarks.
Appendix. Tables.
I. Introductory.
Up till April, 1907, no reliable information existed as to whether North-East- ern Rhodesia had been invaded by sleeping sickness or not, and with the single
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excoption of the knowledge of the presence of Glossina palpulis at one spot on the Luapula River, little or no information had Leen collected to show that the condi tions in the country were favourable for such an invasion. Not only was such scanty information available as to the conditions obtaining in North-Eastern Rhodesia, but no reliable evidence could be furnished as to the progress the disease was making in the Congo, and how far it had extended towards the confines of British territory. Vague rumours were current during the early part of 1906 as to sleeping sickness being present at Kasenga on the Luapula River in Belgian territory, and at Lukonzolwa, on the Belgian side of Lake Mweru. Dr. Noble, when investigating the subject of sleeping sickness in North-Eastern Rhodesia, visited both these places in 1906, and saw a case at the former place of a soldier, supposed to be suffering from sleeping sickness, but unfortunately he did not confirm the diagnosis, and we were thus left in the dark as to the true nature of the disease from which he eventually died.
The report as to the presence of the disease on the Belgian side of Lake Mweru was not confirmed at the time of Dr. Noble's visit there in 1906, and beyond finding Glossina palpalis on the River Luvua, in Belgian territory, near Pweto, nothing definite resulted from his visit. On Lake Tanganyika it was known from Dutton and Todd's reports that the disease was present as far south as Moliro in 1905, and in 1906 a memorandum from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine on the subject of sleeping sickness directed the attention of the Administration to the fact that North-Eastern Rhodesia might shortly be expected to be invaded on the south shore of the lake from the Congo, but the combined investigations of Drs. Noble and With such Farndale at the south end of the lake in 1906, resulted in nothing being found with the exception of Glossina palpalis reported by Dr. Noble at Vua. meagre details as a working basis on which to construct preventive measures involv ing the expenditure of large sums of money, and the disorganisation of all traffic in the Northern Districts, the diffidence of the Administration in starting such measures will be readily appreciated; moreover, if medical reports are to be considered at all no justification for such measures existed. At the end of 1906 Dr. Noble was directed to return to the Luapula, and to establish a medical post at Madona (The most important ferry on the Luapula from the Congo) for the double purpose of forming a headquarters to pursue further his investigations, and to examine for signs of sleeping sickness, any natives crossing there from the Congo--- all other ferries on the Luapula having been closed down. He was also directed to report on various important matters affecting the transport between Madona and Kambove, but owing to ill health, nothing was done or reported up to the time of his leaving the country in April, 1907. About this time it was reported by Dr. Neave that several cases of sleeping sickness had been found at Kambove, one of the cases being a native of North-Eastern Rhodesia. This report, together with the fact of Glossina palpalis being found at the crossing on the Lufira River, on the road between Madona and Kambove, at once determined the Administration to stop all communication between North-Eastern Rhodesia and the Congo.
It was at this juncture that Mr. Codrington pointed out the very unsatisfactory state of things, and the lack of information obtained as to whether the conditions present on our borders rendered it possible for an invasion of sleeping sickness to occur, and suggested that I should proceed to the border and reinvestigate the state of things existing there as soon as a relief could be found to take over my duties in Fort Jameson. The objects of my investigations were:-
(1) To ascertain if North-Eastern Rhodesia were infected with sleeping
sickness or not.
(2) To ascertain all the conditions that might be considered favourable to such an invasion, and to state at what positions the infection might le expected to appear.
(3) To ascertain the extent to which the disease had spread in the Congo with a view to expressing, an opinion as to whether the transport of loads between Madona and Kambove could be carried on by natives of North-Eastern Rhodesia with freedom from risk.
(4) To adopt such measures as may be found necessary to protect the country
from infection.
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