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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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before applying for a Colonial medical appointment would diminish the number of suitable applicants without commensurate advantage.

On the other hand, the proposal to give to recently-appointed Colonial medical officers some such clinical instruction in tropical medicine as is given at Netley and Haslar in the case of medical officers of the Army, Navy, and Indian Medical Services, meets with the warmest approval of the staff of Guy's Hospital Medical School.

16988.

SIR,

No. 47.

17424.

I am, &c.,

L. E. SHAW,

Dean.

SIR,

KING'S COLLEGE to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received July 29, 1898.)

King's College, London, W.C., July 28, 1898. THE Council of King's College, who are the governing body of King's College Hospital in respect of its medical school, desire me to acknowledge your communi- cation of the 12th instant,* drawing attention to the letter from the Colonial Office of March 11t

The Council have, since the last named date, given careful attention to the matter, but have not been able as yet to come to a final conclusion as to the provision to be made for preliminary or theoretical instruction in tropical diseases.

They are fully alive to the great importance of the subject, and are anxious to further the wishes of the Secretary of State by every practicable means.

Cases of tropical disease are however so infrequent among the inmates of King's of College Hospital that clinical instruction in the subject is hardly within the range its work. But the Council hope, in the course of this year, to submit a final reply as to their ability to provide preliminary instruction in this branch of medicine.

17131.

I am, &c.,

A. ROBERTSON, D.D.,

Principal of King's College, and Vice-Chairman of King's College Hospital.

No. 48,

QUEEN'S COLLEGE, BELFAST, to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received August 1, 1898.)

Queen's College, Belfast, July 30, 1898.

SIR,

I HAVE the honour to acknowledge your letter of 12th instant, calling the attention of the Governing body of this College to the letter from the Colonial Office of 11th March, respecting the question of providing special education in tropical medi- cine in the Medical Schools of this country.

I beg to state:-

1st, that the members of the Council are now scattered in different places;

2nd, that the matter referred to has been by no means lost sight of; that at one of the last meetings of Council held before the vacation the subject was again discussed, but it was thought desirable to postpone the question of appointing a lecturer on tropical diseases till next session, and a resolution was passed to that effect.

I have, &c.,

J. PURSER,

Registrar.

• Not printed.

† No. 12.

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No. 49.

ROYAL SOCIETY to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received August 4, 1898.)

[Answer,d by No. 50.]

The Royal Society, Burlington House, London, W.,

August 2, 1898.

THE Committee appointed at Mr. Chamberlain's request,* for the investigation of malaria, had on Thursday last an interview with Mr. Lucas, of the Colonial Office, at the close of which I was directed to make the following statement explaining the views of the Committee in respect to the conduct of the investigation.

Recent researches, carried on in Italy, Algiers, and elsewhere in malarial districts, have shown that malarial disease is the result of the presence in the blood of a minute parasite affecting the red corpuscles, and that the parasitic organism presents different phenomena in the different forms of malaria. Though much has been learnt, the whole life history of the parasite organisms has not been fully made out, and our know- ledge is especially incomplete in respect to the history of the parasite outside the body, and the manner and conditions of its entrance into the body. There can be no doubt that our preventive and remedial power over the disease is contingent on a fuller knowledge of the life history of the parasitic organism.

We possess at present little or no accurate knowledge concerning the malarial fevers of Africa, either West or East, in respect of the phenomena presented by para- sitic organisms. And the first step in the proposed investigation must be the study of the various forms of malarial disease in Africa, especially of the malignant forms, through researches carried out on the spot, by competent observers, well trained in pathological inquiry, and especially conversant with the methods and results of the inquiries already conducted in Italy and elsewhere.

Such investigations cannot be successfully carried out by one observer, working single-handed; for several reasons, it is desirable to entrust them to at least two observers working in concert.

The Committee have had under consideration a suggestion made by Dr. Manson that the observers entrusted with the proposed inquiry should first visit India for the purpose of studying the results of certain inquiries carried on by Surgeon-Major Ross at Calcutta, in respect to the part played by the mosquito and other insects in pro- ducing the infection with the parasite, and so propagating the disease.

While admitting the great interest of Surgeon-Major Ross's researches, the Com- mittee do not consider that they are of such a character as to justify the expense of money and time involved in such a visit; but they are of opinion that it would be of great advantage that an independent observer should have an opportunity of con- ferring with Surgeon-Major Ross upon his researches, and of reporting to the Com- mittee, and they have reason to think that they can obtain for this purpose at a very moderate emolument the services of an observer now in India. The observers en- trusted with the main inquiry, should, in the opinion of the Committee, proceed straight to Africa, having previously made a brief visit to Italy, in order, before commencing their own inquiry, to make themselves fully acquainted with the most recent results obtained there.

With respect to another suggestion made by Dr. Manson, namely, that one of the observers should be an entomologist, the Committee are of opinion that this is not necessary. The view that the mosquito is an important agent in propagating the dis- ease has at present advanced very little beyond the stage of hypothesis, and even if it proved to be a true view the important problems to be solved are painological in nature; the determination of the species of mosquito or other insects concerned can easily be made without the exclusive employment of the time of a special entomologist. The Committee have had under consideration the desirability of making use, as observers, of some of the medical men already engaged in the Colonial service, but they have been unable to satisfy themselves of the competency of any of these gentle- The inquiry is a most difficult one, and calls for special knowledge and training

men.

• Kee No. 42.

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