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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 885

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6

No. 4.

MINUTE BY DR. A. G. BAGSHAWE.

A perusal of the Uganda Report just issued will, I think, convince anyone con- versant with the subject that more observations in the field on the life history of G. palpalis are urgently needed. Such observations are best made by entomologists, and it is most unfortunate that, with the exception of Professor Minchin, who devoted himself to work in the laboratory, no British entomologist has paid attention to tsetse flies in tropical Africa.

From the study of the trypanosome in Africa, it is at least open to doubt whether much more knowledge is to Le obtained; in that of the tsetse fly we enter a region almost unexplored, but one that promises to yield valuable results.

In my opinion a competent entomologist should be sent to Tropical Africa, to any region where G. palpalis is plentiful. There are obvious advantages in sending him to a part where sleeping sickness appears not to exist in epidemic form, e.g., the Gambia and other West Coast Colonies, for in such a place he would not be hampered by the precautions both for himself and his natives which it is needful to take in a country like Uganda. As I have indicated in the report mentioned, I think that if we had sufficient knowledge we could get rid of the fly from any given region by clearing with much less trouble and expenditure than is now the case; it is certain that its breeding grounds are much more limited in area than those of malaria-bear- ing mosquitos; it is possible that we could deal with it on a large scale by other methods. The entomologist sent should devote all his time to G. palpalis, and should not be at the service of the local government for consultation on economic problems: this is important.

If it is not considered necessary or possible to secure the services of an entomo- Care should be logist, the work must be done by medical officers in the Colonies. taken in each case to select a suitable man, one, e.g., who is already a collector in some department of natural history. Many of the medical officers in the tropics have not worked at any branch of this subject. In (say) two of the larger West Coast Colonies it should be possible to select a man fitted for this special work. He would have to establish himself near an area where the fly were numerous; he would investigate fully the conditions for breeding; he would learn to breed out and rear flies from pupa (which has not been done up to the present with this species except by a German doctor in the Cameroons), he would ascertain what degree of clearing is needed to get rid of the fly and prevent its return; he would find out what are the enemies of the fly, of its larva and pupa, and by what method, if any, they could be encouraged, &c., &c.

A record of the palpalis areas in the West Coast Colonies is needed, but the best results would be obtained by keeping this portion of the investigation apart. The medical officers in Uganda who were employed in the Sleeping Sickness extended investigations did not accomplish much because research such as I have detailed had to be carried on as they travelled from place to place.

In my opinion the natural history of the fly has been neglected, the attention of observers having been concentrated on the trypanosome; I doubt whether we shall make further notable advance till we take up the former study.

A. G. BAGSHAWE.

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2. The important part which insects play in those countries in the spread of the discases of men, animals, and plants, renders it essential that this branch of research should be placed on a sound footing, and Lord Crewe desires to widen as far as possible the basis of the present organization.

3. Under existing arrangements there are only three officials in the service of the nine Colonies and Protectorates whose time is entirely devoted to entomological work, and their work is restricted to the investigation of insects in relation to crops. It is true that a few of the medical officers in those possessions have devoted them- selves to entomological work when their other duties have admitted of their doing so, and Dr. W. Graham, of the Gold Coast, is an instance of how much may be achieved in this way.

4. In addition to the work which has been done locally, valuable assistance has been rendered in different directions by the Natural History Section of the British Museum, by Cambridge University, and by the Schools of Tropical Medicine of London and Liverpool.

5. Lord Crewe is glad to have this opportunity of expressing his sense of the obligations of the Colonial Office to these institutions for their cordial co-operation, and he thinks that they will probably be the first to admit that this branch of scienti- fic inquiry requires to be developed on lines which are more in accordance with its great extent and importance.

6. Although the amount of the funds at his Lordship's disposal for this purpose is, unfortunately, strictly limited, he thinks that it will be possible to make at any rate a substantial addition to what is already provided, and his aim would be to frame a scheme which, while providing for the increase and organisation of the workers on the spot, would include as far as possible all the institutions in this untry which are willing and able to co-operate, and so place the matter on a national basis.

7. With this object in view Lord Crewe is inviting several gentlemen who are acknowledged authorities in this department of science to confer with him at this Office on Friday, the 26th instant, at 12 noon, and he would be glad [if you could make it convenient to attend also, and to give him the benefit of your valuable

Natural History Museum advice and assistance], [if the London School of Tropical Medicine could allow

Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine

a member of their entomological section their arthropodologist their entomologist

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to represent them at the meeting].

I am, &c.,

R. L. ANTROBUS.

20 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

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COLONIAL OFFICE to THE HONOURABLE N. C. ROTHSCHILD AND OTHERS.

So,

F. P. Jepson, Esq. Professor Carpenter. Professor Poulton.

F. V. Theobald, Es].

Dr. Gordon Hewitt.

C. G. Lamb, Esq.

Professor Nuttall.

C. Warburton, Esq.

No. 5.

D. Sharp, Esq.

A. E. Shipley, Esq., D.Sc.

R. Shelford, Esq.

The Director of the Natural History Museum, South Kensington. The Secretary to the London School of Tropical Medicine.

The Secretary to the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Guy Marshall, Esq. [20 March, 1909.]

Downing Street, 10 March, 1909.

I AM directed by the Earl of Crewe to inform you that he has had under his consideration the question of entomological investigation in the Colonies and Protec- torates of West and East Africa.

No. 6.

ENTOMOLOGICAL RESEARCH.

MEETING AT THE COLONIAL OFFICE ON 26 MARCH, 1909.

LORD CREWE expressed his regret at being able to pay only a limited visit to the meeting. He said that he had left the Cabinet, which was then sitting, and would have to return as soon as possible, but that the proceedings of the meeting would be reported to him in due course.

So far as Colonial Administration was concerned, the importance of entomo- logical study was almost unequalled in all the branches of administration in which they had to deal. Speaking of Africa in particular, the whole life of the people was bound up with the habits and proceedings of insects, as the agricultural industry and the lives of the inhabitants themselves were affected by the diseases communí- cated by different kinds of insects. As they knew, a great deal had already been done, and there were important agencies concerned in the study of these insects, eg, there was the Natural History Museum; and he wished to say that he particu- larly desired to recognise the position and claims of the Museum in this matter. It was perfectly obvious that it would be altogether wrong to attempt in any way to set up any form of organisation, and still more any kind of direction, which should be in

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