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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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As regards the first part of the work, the Sub-Committee were of the opinion that it should be possible to obtain the necessary information without great difficulty, and the following recommendations were made :-

(a) That the Colonial Office should communicate officially with the Govern- ments of the British possessions lying to the east of India, that is to say, Straits Settlements, Federated Malay States, Hong Kong, Borneo, Papua, Fiji, and the Western Pacific, and asking that the Bureau may be furnished (1) with all the information available as to the distri- bution of mosquitoes, and in particular of Stegomyia, in those Colonies; (2) with collections of mosquitoes from these localities, on the under- standing that such collections will be identified by the Bureau, and named specimens returned for the use of the Medical Department and the Collector, if so desired.

(b) That a similar communication should be addressed, through the medium of the Foreign Office, to the French, Dutch, American, German and Japanese Governments in respect of the territories belonging to those Governments in the Far East and the Pacific.

(c) That, when replies have been received from the various Governments approached in this way, the Committee should consider the desirability of sending an entomologist specially to collect information as to the distribution of Stegomyia in those parts as to which information cannot be obtained as the result of (a) and (b) above.

4. As regards the second part of the work, Mr. Marshall pointed out that experiments as to the transmission of yellow fever by scutellaris could not be made without either introducing yellow fever into a scutellaris zone or scutellaris into a yellow fever zone, as at present scutellaris does not occur (so far as is known) in any place where yellow fever occurs. The first alternative was entirely out of the ques- tion, and the second alternative was open to strong criticism. He suggested, there- fore, that experiments should be made with Stegomyia sugens, a species closely akin to scutellaris, which already exists in yellow fever zones in West Africa and which is also to be found in parts of India. If the experiments proved that sugens was a carrier of yellow fever, it would be possible to argue by analogy that scutellaris and other allied species of Stegomyia were potential carriers and that precautions should be taken accordingly. The Sub-Committee was inclined to accept this suggestion, but Sir Havelock Charles emphasised the fact that it was scutellaris and not sugens or any allied species of Stegomyia as to which the Indian Government wanted definite information, and he advocated the introduction of scutellaris into West Africa, sub- ject to the proviso that all necessary precautions should be taken to keep it absolutely under control and to prevent its spread outside the laboratories or other places in It would be easy to collect specimens of which the experiments were conducted. scutellaris in India (in the egg stage) and ship them to West Africa. He realised that to the lay mind the proposal to introduce a new mosquito into Africa would appear to be open to serious objection, but the only possible risk was that of the fly spreading, and if proper care were exercised this risk could be so minimised as to be negligible. Dr. Shipley and Dr. Bagshawe were both doubtful as to the wisdom of introducing scutellaris into Africa, even though every precaution suggested for keeping it under control were adopted. Yellow fever already being there, it was obvious that the introduction of scutellaris would not mean the introduction of yellow fever, but there were so many unknown possibilities in the event of the flies escaping from control that such a measure ought only to be adopted after the fullest con- sideration.

The Sub-Committee were agreed that this part of the investigation could in any event be carried out most satisfactorily by the Yellow Fever Commission, which it was understood was already taking steps to initiate experiments with sugens, and it was finally decided that the question of conducting experiments in West Africa to determine whether or not scutellaris is a carrier of yellow fever should be referred to the Yellow Fever Commission, and at the same time the opinion was recorded that, while a complete answer could not be given to the question whether or not scutellaris is a carrier of the disease without introducing this particular species into a region where yellow fever exists and where transmission experiments can be carried out, such a course of action would not be unattended by risks, which would have to be carefully thought out and fully guarded against.

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No. 27.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE to THE GOVERNORS,GOVERNOR-GENERAL AND HIGH COMMISSIONER.

(Straits Settlements. No. 260.) (Hong Kong. No. 254.) (Fiji. No. 285.)

(Australia. No. 487.)

(Western Pacifio. No. 216.)

Downing Street, [22] [23] August, 1913.

[SIR], [MY LORD],

I HAVE the honour to inform you that the Managing Committee of the Imperial Bureau of Entomology have had under their consideration the question of obtaining full information as to the distribution of Stegomyia fasciata in Eastern Colonial and foreign ports.

2. The desirability of obtaining reliable information on this subject was pointed out in a report recently written by Major S. P. James, I.M.S., on the protection of India from yellow fever in connection with the opening of the Panama Canal [To Straits and Hong Kong only as to which I am addressing you generally in another despatch*]. Major James pointed out in his report that we have very little or no knowledge, not only upon the subject of a sure method of diagnosing yellow fever, but upon such subjects as the presence or absence, and distribution of Stegomyia fasciata in Eastern Colonial and other ports, the problem whether the very widely distributed and abundant species, Stegomyia scutellaris, carries the disease or not, the bionomics of those species, and many other matters of prime importance in con- nection with the etiology and prevention of yellow fever. Consequently, should occasion arise to deal with an irruption of yellow fever in a new territory, this want of knowledge would greatly hamper and delay efficient and enlightened action on the part of the authorities concerned.

3. The Bureau of Entomology, recognising the importance of the subject, has undertaken to collect information as to the distribution of stegomyia in the countries which are likely to provide ports of call for vessels plying between Panama and India. As a preliminary measure, the Committee have asked that the Bureau may be furnished (1) with all the information available as to the distribution of mos- quitoes generally, and of stegomyia in particular, in the Straits Settlements, Malay States, Borneo, Hong Kong, Papua, Fiji, and the other British possessions in the Western Pacific, and (2) with collections of mosquitoes from these localities.

4. I have to request that [To Australia only: if your Ministers have no objec- tion] you will be good enough to arrange for the Bureau to be supplied, as soon as practicable, with all the information available as to the distribution of mosquitoes, and in particular of stegomyia, in [the Straits Settlements (including Labuan), the Malay States, and Brunei] [Hong Kong] [Fiji] [Papua] [the Western Pacific], and also for collections of mosquitoes to be sent to the Director of the Bureau at the British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London, S.W. Any such collections will be identified by the Bureau, and named specimens will be returned, if desired, for the use of the Collector, and for the Medical or any other Department to which they would be of value. I presume that the general direction of this work will be placed in the hands of the Principal Medical Officer who [To Straits Settlements and Fiji only; with the assistance of the Government Entomologist] will doubtless be able to make satisfactory arrangements for carrying out what is required. [To Straits Settlements only: As regards the State of North Borneo and Sarawak, you will no doubt be able to make arrangements with the local Governments for meeting the wish of the Bureau as far as possible.]

5. I am hoping to secure that similar measures will be taken in the French, German, Japanese, American, and Dutch possessions in the Far East and the Pacific.

I have, &c.,

L. HARCOURT.

* 27682: not printed.

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