CO885-(20-21) — Page 104

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

PITTIC.O.

885

20 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

(Extract.)*

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SEYCHELLES.

The GOVERNOR to the SECRetary of State.

Government House, Seychelles, 25th May, 1909. In my judgment, the disease of leprosy is less prevalent than I have been led to anticipate. The disease is known to exist in certain families, but I am inclined to attribute its occurrence rather to the evils of too frequent intermarriage among the old families of French colonists than to any dietary cause. is not markedly on the increase.

The disease

Extract from Enclosure.

This Colony is composed of small islands and the population lives largely on fish and rice. The whole Colony may be styled “littoral."

STRAITS SETTLEMENTS.

The

Cases of leprosy are met with throughout the Settlements, on the littoral and inland, showing apparently no marked predilection for either. Neither race, soil, food, nor other condition has been noted as bearing any relation to the distribu- tion of cases. The majority of cases occur amongst Chinese, as is to be expected, considering their great preponderance of numbers over other races in the Settle- ments. The Chinese eat sparingly of salt, a suggested cause of the disease. non-segregation of Chinese lepers in the earlier stages of the disease by their friends and relations is possibly a factor in the spread of the disease, though I have known a Chinese householder in the twentieth year of the disease with a healthy wife and six children where no precautions had ever been taken to prevent the affection spreading in the family.

FIJI.

With regard to replies to the questions in the circular, it would be impossible to supply the information asked for in "A" in the short time, and then it would probably be very far from accurate and would depend for the most part on native reports. Statistics of the lepers in the whole country are now being collected; and from these, which are being got ready with a view to the new station at Beqa, the numbers so far are under 300 of all races, but many of these cases have not been verified by European Medical Officers because of the scattered nature of the towns, so that the estimate is only a rough one at Statistical returns of the kind asked for in

present. the new station is in working order and the new Ordinance proclaimed.

A" will only be possible when Cases are found all over the group both inland and in coastal districts. The cases are found in all races in Fiji, i.e., Europeans-a few—, Indians, Polynesians, and native Fijians.

TONGA.

A-Number of known cases.

Prior to my arrival in Tonga in the end of 1906 no record of any medical

cases had been kept.

I have seen very few

few are known to exist.

cases of leprosy in the Tongan Group of islands, and very There are only six cases on record :-

2 in Tongatabu,

3 in Haapai,

I in Vavau.

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No fresh cases have come under the notice of the authorities for the last two years.

The population of the three groups of islands above mentioned, which are included under Tonga, is supposed to be about 20,000.

B.-Distribution of cases.

Owing to all the islands in the Tongan Group being comparatively small, the cases would be classed as occurring on the littoral.

C.—Notification of cases.

1. The "Bules" or heads of the towns are instructed to notify any suspicious cases in their districts to the Head of the Police, who in turn communicates with one of the Government Medical Officers, of whom there are three, who advises as to whether or no the case is one of leprosy.

2.

There are so few cases here and these have been known for some time that

it is difficult to say when they first came under the notice of the authorities.

They are all of the nerve or anæsthetic type, and they were probably not recog- nised as cases of leprosy until the macula became very marked and the colour changes in the skin very pronounced.

D.-Administrative control.

The natives have such a dread for this disease, which they call kilia, that they readily help to render the isolation as complete as possible under the circum-

stances.

On the Government Medical Officer deciding as aforesaid that a case is one of leprosy, it lies with the police authorities to see that arrangements are made to isolate the person afflicted with the disease.

'They act under a clause of the law of Tonga, which reads as follows:-

Should any person be infected with leprosy, the near relatives or such person shall build a house on their plantation land not less than two hundred yards from any road and one mile from any village, and shall remove such leper thither and there support him, and the leper shall not approach any public road or village, and any near relative of a leper who shall infringe any of these provisions shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding fifty dollars, to be recovered by distress. Provided that it shall be lawful for the Minister of Police, with the consent of the Cabinet, to issue a written order for the removal of any leper to an island when the Government shall have set apart an island for the reception of lepers."

Nukualofa Hospital, Tonga, 24th May, 1909.

C. E. MAGUIRE, M.D.,

ST. HELENA.

Senior Medical Officer.

No record kept until 1905, though a male, aged 23, is registered as having died of leprosy in 1901. In 1905 there were three cases of leprosy in the Colony, the civil population numbering 3,781. In that year one of the lepers, an old man, died from accidental burns. One fresh case of leprosy occurred in 1907 (a small boy). This made three cases in all in a population of 3,746. A leper (male, aged 58, grandfather of the boy referred to above) died in 1908. cases in the Colony in a population of 3,558.

There are now only two

All cases recorded in Jamestown near the sea level. It is supposed that all the cases are instances of contagion from cases that had previously existed.

For the first time in the Colony's history steps are now being taken to segregate

a case of leprosy—that of a child aged seven years who contracted the disease from

his grandfather in 1907. The grandfather died in 1908.

The only other suspected case existing in the Island, an old man, is considered by the Colonial Surgeon to be sufficiently isolated at his own home. The surround- ings are good and measures of disinfection are used as to feeding, clothing, &c.

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