CO885-(25-26) — Page 13

12

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :---

CO.885/25

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO

6

Miss Rhoda Jones worked in the Entomological Laboratory two days a week during October.

A. ALCOCK,

55967

No. 3.

Lieutenant-Colonel, I.M.S. (retired).

THE LIVERPOOL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE to COLONIAL

SIR,

OFFICE.

(Received 22nd November, 1916.)

[Answered by No. 10.]

B 10, Exchange Buildings, Liverpool, 21st November, 1916. HAVE the honour to enclose, for the information of the Tropical Diseases Advisory Committee, the following reports of the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine for the six months ending 31st October, 1916, on the work done in connexion with the Government grant, viz :-

(1) Report of the Sir Alfred Jones Professor of Tropical Medicine (Professor

J. W. W. Stephens).

(2) Report of the Dutton Professor of Entomology (Professor Robert

Newstead).

The Walter Myers Professor of Parasitology (Professor Warrington Yorke) and the Director of the Research Laboratory (Dr. Blacklock) caly returned to the School in September after having been on active service for twelve months, and Dr. H. B. Fantham (Lecturer in Helminthology) left the service of the School in July last to join His Majesty's forces abroad, so that no reports from these three gentlemen are available.

I have, &c.,

SIR,

Enclosure 1 in No. 3.

A. H. MILNE.

D. EVANS,

Secretary.

21st November, 1916.

I BEG to submit the following report on the work done during the period from 1st May to 31st October, 1916.

Students. The number of admissions for the autumn course of instruction is seven.

Museum.-The thanks of the School are due to the following gentlemen for their kindness in sending specimens to the School during the last six months :--

Dr. Fitzsimons, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, collection of fresh-water

snails.

Captain W. Yorke, Royal Army Medical Corps, Malta, collection of Cestode. Dr. W. Purvas, portion of liver, (?) yellow fever.

Major Beattie, Royal Army Medical Corps, University of Liverpool, plague

liver.

The main energies of the staff at present are devoted to work arising out of the War. The following is a brief summary of the work we are engaged in :—-

Dysentery Cases.-In the last report reference was made to the workers engaged in examining the stools of dysentery cases from the hospitals in the Western Com- mand. Those now at work are:-

Miss D. Mackinnon, D.Sc. (appointed by the War Office).

Mr. Malins Smith, M.A., F.L.S.

Mr. J. R. Matthews, M.A

Mr. H. F. Carter, F.ES.

Since the return of Professor Yorke from active service I have been able to transfer the general superintendence of such work to the Professor of Parasitology, in whose province it naturally falls. I may be permitted, however, to refer to some of the more important results obtained as the result of the examination of this mass of material.

7

Control Examinations of Non-dysenteric Cases. Messrs. Matthews and Malins Smith made observations on this point. They have examined two hundred und fifty cases, and have arrived at the quite unexpected result that non-dysenteric cases, i.e., those with no history of dysentery or diarrhoea, also have (E. histolytica cysts in their stools. This result is of great importance, because it raises the important question whether all cases (i.e., including non-dysenteric cases) from endemic areas should be examined. It would be hardly possible without a great increase in staff to deal with such numbers of cases.

It further raises the question whether these non-dysenteric unexamined cases are not equally a danger to the community. In this connexion we may point out that, although it is generally assumed (perhaps rightly) that cyst carriers are a danger to the community, as we do not know exactly how dysentery is contracted, we cannot speak with certainty as to cyst carriers.

as

Results of treatment.-Another important fact results from the examination of these cases. In the Tropical School Auxiliary Medical Hospital, of which I am in charge, I have been able to correlate the results of these examinations with the treatment adopted. It follows clearly from these results that while a patient is under treatment (with emetine) negative findings are exceedingly common, so that in accordance with the Army Regulations it would be justifiable to discharge a patient, but this is no proof that such a patient is really cured, for as soon treatment is left off he may relapse immediately. Our endeavours are now devoted to finding how long treatment is required to procure a cure, and, secondly, for how long must a patient be examined in order to make certain that he will not subse- quently relapse. We have examples of cases relapsing as long as three weeks after treatment, but this appears to be exceptional. As a rough rule we may perhaps say that, if a patient does not relapse within a week after treatment, he may be considered a cure.

Examination of Malaria Cases. Recently the School has undertaken the examination of the blood of all malaria cases in the Liverpool district. The only available staff for this work are Dr. Blacklock and myself. We hope to get assistance for this work, which we may be unable to cope with unaided.

The following regulations have been approved of by Colonel Gemmell, Royal Army Medical Corps :-"A patient is not to be discharged until he has had two consecutive negative examinations at a week's interval." Further, I recommend that each patient on discharge continues to take quinine, twenty grains daily, for two months, in order to avoid relapse. No Army regulation to this effect exists at present, but I am of opinion that a regulation of this kind is required, other- wise many of these patients will relapse and so be useless as soldiers.

I have, &c.,

The Secretary,

SIR,

•

J. W. W. STEPHENS,

Professor of Tropical Medicine.

Incorporated Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine,

B 10, Exchange Buildings, Liverpool.

Enclosure 2 in No. 3.

20th November, 1916.

Department of Medical and General Economic Entomology.

I HAVE the honour to submit a report of the work of this Department for the half-year ending 31st October, 1916.

Students. (1) The usual course of instruction was given to the students attending this School for the Diploma of Tropical Medicine. Seven students attended.

(2) A special course of lectures and demonstrations was given to the students of the School of Veterinary Science during the autumn term. Eleven students attended.

Determination of Blood-sucking and Agricultural Insects. During the last six months twenty-two collections of insects, representing the following families, Phlebotomine, Coccide, and Psyllida, were received from the Imperial Bureau of Entomology (Colonial Office). These were submitted by thirteen different cor- respondents, distributed as follows:-China, one; Africa, eight; West Indies,