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road is similar to the bush on the Seccondee-Coomassie line, and G. palpalis is fairly common there, though it cannot be described as plentiful,

At Takoradi the fly is met with now and then.

At Inchaban, where the water supply of Seccondee is located, Palpalis is also scantily met with. The same applies to the Axim road and the Whin River. This is like the Volta in being thickly clad with bush overhanging the water's edge. It might be possible to get Dr. Ll. Lloyd, at present with the Tsetse Investiga- tion, Nigeria, to spend the last two months of his tour inquiring into the tsetse He is due for leave May, 1925, I think, and in April and state of affairs here. May any increase in the intensity and extension of the "fly" should have com- menced then.

15th April, 1924.

W. A. YOUNG, Aoting Director of Medical Research Institute,

Accra.

187

STATISTICS WITH REGARD TO SLEEPING SICKNESS IN GOLD Coast.

Your.

Number of Cases.

Number of Deaths.

8

5

18

6

10

14

8.

27

8

8

16

1916

1917

1918

1919

1920

1921 1922-28

Totala

95

18

Enclosure 2 in No. 60.

Average for 7 years.

13-5

2.5

372

Medical Department, P.O. Box 138, Victoriaborg, Accra,

17th April, 1924.

A, ON page 3 has been sent to Medical Officer, Kintampo, with instructions that he should visit the villages referred to when the health of his Station permite him to do s80.

2. From this report it would appear that tsetse fly is very scanty, and Sleeping Sickness unknown, in the districts between Kintampo and the Banda Hills, where Dr. Young carried out his investigations recently.

It would also appear that conditions, climatic and other, are unfavourable to the development of the fly in large numbers, and that so far, owing to these condi- tions, the flies are just able to hold their own and no more. Owing to the growing scarcity of game in these districts it may be assumed that the conditions will become more unfavourable year by year to the increase of the fly.

3. The facts that the flies examined were found uninfected with trypano- somes, that Sleeping Sickness is unknown in these districts, and that cattle can live and thrive there, are important.

4. I agree with Dr. Young that the investigations hitherto conducted have been piecemeal, and that the conclusions arrived at, to be of value, should be the result of investigations carried out throughout the entire year (including the rainy season as well as the dry season). I also agree with him that for this purpose a complete survey of the whole of the Gold Coast extending over one or two years would be necessary.

5. I do not see, however, how with the present staff consisting of Director of Medical Research Institute and two Pathologists (one of whom would be absent on leave) two officers could be seconded for this work without depleting our Head- quarters Staff below the necessary minimum for local and emergency work. To enable us to carry out this survey the appointment of at least one Assistant Pathologist would be required.

6. With regard to the salaries and allowances suggested I fail to see any reason why a personal allowance in addition to his other allowances should be granted to the Pathologist engaged in this work, which is research work pure and simple, and which, in my opinion, should be part of his ordinary duty. Any com- pensation considered advisable owing to lack of comforts in the bush is provided for in the item Commuted Bush and Travelling Allowance. The item fifty carriers also appears to me too high, and I understand that tents and the like can always be borrowed or obtained from the Public Works Department.

7. In view of the fact that the total number of reported cases of Sleeping Sickness in the Colony and its Dependencies (see attached table) shows no appreci- able increase since 1916, and that the average number of deaths reported since that year is only 25 per annum. I am of opinion that the complete survey recommended hr Dr. Young is not one of immediate and urgent importance, and that considera- tion of the proposal might be postponed until we are in possession of the Final Report of the survey party appointed in 1921 for a similar purpose in Northern Nigeria.

M. E. O'DEA, Director Medical and Sanitary Services.

The Honourable

The Colonial Secretary.

Victoriaborg.

19th April, 1924.

25961

M. E. O'DEA,

Director Medical and Sanitary Services.

No. 61.

IMPERIAL BUREAU OF ENTOMOLOGY.

MINUTES OF THE FORTIETH GENERAL MEETING OF THE MANAGING

COMMITTEE, HELD AT 3 P.M., ON WEDNESDAy, 28th May, 1924.

Present:-

EARL BUXTON (Chairman).

DR. BAGSHAWE.

SIR DAVID BRUCE.

SIR SIDNEY Harmer. DR. MACDougall. PROFESSOR POULTON.

SIR DAVID PRAIN. SIR HERBERt Read.

DR. SCOTT.

SIR ARTHUR SHIPLEY.

MR. WARBURTÓN.

DR. MARSHALL (Director).

DR. NEAVE (Assistant Director). MR. PARKINSON (Secretary).

MR. SEEL (Assistant Secretary).

1. The Chairman announced that Colonel Aloock, Major Austen, Mr. Fryer,

Sir Edward Lucas, Mr. Murray, Professor Nuttall and Mr. Theobald were unfortunately prevented from attending the Meeting.

2. Arising out of the discussion of the Minutes* of the Thirty-Ninth General Meeting, the following points were mentioned:-

(a) (Paragraph 5 (iii) of Minutes).-Dr. Marshall explained that the question of filling the appointments of Senior Assistant had not been placed on the Agenda for the present Meeting, as it was not yet known what attitude the Government of India proposed to take with regard to their contribution to the Bureau.

(b) (Paragraph 6 of Minutes)-Dr. Marshall announced that the question of taking over from the Zoological Society the distribution and sale of the Insecta portion of the Zoological Record had been settled on the lines approved by the Committee.

(c) (Paragraph 7 of Minutes).—Sir Sidney Harmer observed that the Zoological Committee which he had mentioned was not an official body, and suggested that the words "the Zoological Committee" in the Minutes should be altered to read " a Zoological Committee.' Dr. Marshall also mentioned that the intention of the.

32

* No. 57.

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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muimminCO

885/26

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON