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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

C.O. 8

885

21 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

10455

30

No. 18.

NORTH-WESTERN RHODESIA.

THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR SOUTH AFRICA to THE SECRETARY OF

STATE.

(Received 9 April, 1910.)

[Copy to Sleeping Sickness. Bure in. 22 April, 1910. L.F.j

(North-Western Rhodesia. No. 183.)

MY LORD,

High Commissioner's Office, Johannesburg,

March 21st, 1910. WITH reference to my despatch, No. 104, of February 14th,* I have the honour to enclose, for your information, a copy of the following document on the subject of sleeping sickness in Rhodesia :-March 8th. 1910. Despatch, No. 58, from Acting Administrator, North-Western Rhodesia.

I have, &c.,

Enclosure in No. 18.

SELBORNE

High Commissioner.

The ACTING ADMINISTRATOR, North-Western Rhodesia, to the HIGH COMMISSIONER.

(No. 58.)

MY LORD,

Administrator's Office, Livingstone,

North-Western Rhodesia, 8th March, 1910.

I HAVE the honour to transmit, for your Lordship's information, four copies of a report submitted by Dr. May, Principal Medical Officer for Northern Rhodesia, to the Acting Administrator of North-Eastern Rhodesia on the investigation into sleeping sickness in that territory.

His Excellency the High Commissioner,

I have, &c.,

JOHN CARDEN,

Acting Administrator.

The Right Honourable the Earl of Selborne,

K.G., G.C.M.G., P.C., &c., &c.,

Johannesburg.

SLEEPING SICKNESS REPORT. No. 1, 1910.

Medical Department, Livingstone,

North-Western Rhodesia, March 3rd, 1910. The Luangwa River, neighbourhood of Nawalia.

As previously reported, Dr. Leach is now examining the Luangwa River for the presence of Glossina palpalis and sleeping sickness.

An entomologist is on his way to join him and work in conjunction with him. It is hoped that by these means a very thorough examination and a complete collection of all blood-sucking insects will be made, as well as all cases of the disease discovered. Dr. Leach has reported the discovery of three cases of sleeping sickness from the neighbourhood of Nawalia. The villages at which all three of these natives lived are situated on the Nyamadzi and its tributaries. (The Nyamadzi is a tribu- tary of the Luangwa.)

Case No. 1. Mtinondo, village Chisakavia's on the Nyamadzi, was found by Dr. Leach in making an examination of the prisoners in Mpika Gaol.

Since 1907 this native has twice been imprisoned at Mpika (December, 1908- March, 1909, and again for six months from November, 1909).

Antecedents.--Has travelled little, has twice accompanied the Native Commis- sioner as a carrier in district travelling; has never been, as far as information is

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available, in any known endemic area. Previous to 1907, the only fact as yet ascer- tained about his movements is that he made one journey to Blantyre in or about 1905. He denies ever having been west of Mpika.

Case No. 2.-Native Mweupe, age about 17, village Muponge, on the Luchinini stream, a tributary of the Nyamadzi. The Assistant Magistrate, Mr. Melland, reports as regards this native :—

Antecedents. Formerly lived at Wongos (quite close to present village), moved to Mponges with his family about 1905-1906. Has never been on any ulendo any where at all (only paid tax in 1909, and his father gave him the money); he paid it to the Native Commissioner visiting his village. In four years has only visited the following villages :-Kalimba, Kavimba, Wango, and Ndombo, all in the immediate vicinity of Mponges. Has never even been to Nawalia."

So far as can be ascertained, Weupe has never left the area marked in red on the accompanying sketch map.*

Case No. 3.-Bunimgu, village Musenje, age 16-17 years. Has been once to Fort Jameson, July, 1908, and Kasama once; otherwise has never been more than about ten miles from his home.

Dr. Leach has made a careful examination of the Luangwa and the Nyamadzi and its tributaries in this vicinity, and up to the date of his last report (January 31st, 1910) has failed to find Glossina palpalis.

The greater part of the adult male population of the villages in this neighbour- hood were not available for palpation.

The occurrence of these three cases in a localised area, and in the absence of known means of transmission, cannot at present be explained, and pending further reports from Dr. Leach it does not seem advisable at present to do more than isolate these natives.

Case No. 1 has during the last year spent a period of some eight months in Mpika Gaol, during the last two months of which he may be presumed to have been a carrier and in a position to provide infection were the conditions there suitable for its transmission; at the time of my recent visit to Mpika, September, 1909, the Assistant Native Commissioner, Mr. Waterall, reported that tick fever was common amongst the prisoners. I did not verify this microscopically as, at that particular time, there was no suitable case available, but an inspection of the gaol revealed the fact that "Ornithodorous Moubata'

was present there in abundance. The con- finement of this trypanosome carrier in gaol with a number of other natives, some of whom it may be possible to prove have never left the plateau and who consequently have never come in contact with Glossina palpalis, has provided an opportunity for investigation as to whether the tampan can act as a transmitting agent in human trypanosomiasis. This tick is common throughout the district Pending the com- pletion of the examination of this district and the Luangwa River, I would recom- mend that provision be made for the strict isolation of these cases at Mpika; also pending the completion of this examination it would be well if all officials and other Europeans travelling in these districts were instructed not to use the rest-houses, a great many of which are infested with tampans.

Tanganyika Division.

The situation in this division remains unchanged. Dr. C. W. Breeks, who is replacing Dr. Leach at Abercorn, has been fully instructed as to what duties require his more immediate attention. He will first examine the Lovu River in the neigh- bourhood of Katwe's and south of the Katwe Mporokoso road, and afterwards pro- ceed with the examination of the upper waters of the Kalungwesi and Luongu Rivers.

Chienji District, Lake Mweru.

Mr. Jollyman has now completed the examination of the lake shore. With the exception of a strip of shore to the west and south of Chienji, some portions of the north shore (vide Annual Report, 1909), and the weedy swamp at Kambwali, Mr. Jollyman reports that there are no parts which may be considered as even probably free from palpalis.

Fly has not yet been reported from Sokwe Island. The neighbourhood of the mouth of the Luapula will shortly be reported on.

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