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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

TTTTT C.O. 885

23 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

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3. I can assure you that Mr. Rose or any other representative of the Inter- national Health Commission will receive every help and assistance from this Govern- ment should they decide to visit any of the Islands of the Bahamas Group, I shall be glad to receive early warning if any members should decide to visit this Colony.

I have, &c.,

38902

No. 7.

BRITISH GUIANA.

THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR to THE SECRETARY OF STATE.

(Received 11 November, 1913.)

G. B. HADDON-SMITH,

Governor.

(No. 317.)

SIR,

Enclosure in No. 5.

REPORT ON The Prevalence of AnkyloSTOMIASIS IN THE BAHAMAS, BY DR. MCHATTIE, CHIEF Medical Officer.

1. Up to the present time only two cases of this disease have been reported in the Colony.

2. Dr. Mackintosh, Medical Officer, Abaco, in his monthly report for July, 1912, reported that a case of ankylostomiasis had come under his observation in his district, and ventured the opinion that the disease was widespread throughout the Colony. In conversation with Dr. Mackintosh, he told me that the diagnosis of this was founded on the presence in the fæces of small worms, which he believed to be the ankylostoma duodenale, but that none of the characterístic ova were dis- covered.

3. Dr. Brace, Colonial Surgeon, Nassau, in August, 1912, reported a case of ankylostomiasis in a man, an inhabitant of the current settlement, Eleuthera, who had consulted him. The diagnosis in this case was confirmed by his finding anky- lostome ova in the fæces. The case was placed under the care of Dr. Culmer, Resident Surgeon, in the Bahamas General Hospital, and made a good recovery under thymol.

4. I have personally examined several specimens of fæces from both hospital and private patients where there was some suspicion of this disease being, but so The far have been unsuccessful in finding the characteristic ova in any case. remarkably rapid manner in which the soil, in all parts of the Colony which I have visited, dries after even the heaviest rain, owing to the great porosity of the rock of which the Islands are composed, would lead one to suppose that ankylostomiasis would not be a common disease here, as the ova require moisture for their further development into the infective larvæ.

5. Any further information I may be able to collect relative to this disease I will gladly place at the disposal of Mr. Rose, should he visit this Colony.

29172

No. 6.

CEYLON.

Government House, Georgetown, Demerara, 17th October, 1913. WITH reference to your despatch, "Miscellaneous," of the 26th August, and subsequent telegram of the 22nd September,* I have the honour to transmit par- ticulars on ankylostomiasis in British Guiana prepared in three sections as follows:-

Section 1.-Abstract of the literature on ankylostomiasis from the British

Guiana Medical Annual.

Section 2.-Review of the history of ankylostomiasis in British Guiana. Section 3.-Cases of ankylostome infection reported on sugar estates.

2. This Government will extend to Mr. Rose, Director of the Rockefeller Sanitary.Commission, every assistance in its power in his investigation of ankylos- tomiasis in British Guiana.

I have, &c.,

CLIFTON GRANNUM,

Enclosure in No. 7.

Section 1.

Deputy Governor.

ABSTRACT OF THE LITERATURE ON ANKYLOSTOMIASIS FROM THE BRITISH Gulana MEDICAL ANNUAL. Year of Issue.

1887.

1890.

A. C. N. McHattie,

Chief Medical Officer.

1892.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNOR. [Answered by 3686 in Miscellaneous No. 304.]

(Miscellaneous.)

Downing Street, 15 October, 1913.

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to transmit to you a copy of a despatch* which I have addressed to the Governors of the West Indian Colonies, with regard to the organi- sation of the International Health Commission and the forthcoming visit to some of those Colonies of Mr. Wickliffe Rose, the Director of the Commission.

2. I understand that it is Mr. Rose's intention to proceed to Ceylon after visiting the West Indies and Egypt, and I hope to be in a position later on to apprise you of the date on which he proposes to visit the Colony.

3. In the meantime I'shall be obliged if you will cause to be prepared for Ceylon the particulars indicated in the final paragraph of my despatch to the West Indian Colonies.

I have, &c.,

•

L. HARCOURT.

Statistics of Public Hospital, Georgetown, by E. D. Rowland. No mention of ankylostomiasis, but a paper by A. T. Ozzard in same publication mentions the existence of ankylostomiasis in a large number of post-mortems.

A. T. Ozzard traces relation of ankylostomiasis to anaemia, and also started examination of stools for ova and parasites. He found them present in Negroes, East Indians, Chinese, Portuguese and Europeans.

J. E. A. Ferguson states: "A very considerable portion of the mortality of Georgetown Hospital was due to this parasite."

In 1891 of 457 autopsies 209 or 457 per cent. Ankylostomum duodenale present in intestines.

Abstract of few statistics given by Dr. Ferguson. Class C of his tables only quoted, i.e., "Ankylostomum duodenale present."

Age relation:-Of a total of 248 cases 85 per cent. were between ages of 15-65 years.

Ankylostomiasis may occur at all ages, from early childhood to

old age.

Death from ankylostomiasis is most frequent between the ages

of 30 and 50.

Occupation:-About 72 per cent. of total cases are agricultural labourers, the next highest being trades and domestics.

Distribution : 44 per cent. City of Georgetown, 20 per cent. sugar plantations, 20 per cent. villages.

Race-Negro race, 28 per cent.; East Indian, 54 per cent.; mixed, 9 per cent.; white race, 7 per cent.

Sex: Males, 73 per cent.; females, 27 per cent.

No. 3; and 29172; not printed.

• No. 3.

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