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16868.

SIR,

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No. 222.

MR. C. W. DANIELS to COLONIAL OFFICE.

(Received June 30, 1899.)

[Answered by No. 230.]

Blantyre, British Central Africa,

May 18; 1899. I HAVE the honour to enclose a copy of the report I am forwarding to the Malarial Committee of the Royal Society, as my colleagues are reporting unfavourably of the prospects of profitable work here.'

I have, &c.,

SIRS,

C. W. DANIELS.

Malaria Commission.

Enclosure in No. 222.

Blantyre, British Central Africa,

May 16, 1899. My colleagues, Drs. Stephens and Christophers, inform ine that they are reporting to you unfavourably of the material available here, and advocating an early transfer to some other place.

I arrived here on April 8th, and was in Zomba from April 30th to May 13th, have spent some time in official and other interviews as well as in hearing the views of the medical men who have been in practice in this country.

Some time has also been spent in the mutual demonstration of our results both of past and present work.

From this it will appear that my opportunities of nequiring sufficient experience of the available material have been limited, but as I have formed an opinion different to that of my colleagues I consider myself bound thus prematurely to report to you.

The actual work I have done will give some idea of the available material.

I have examined the bloods of-

(a.) 8 Natives, 4 Europeans, and 5 Sikhs, for Malarial Parasites with positive results. In most of these cases several examinations were made at different times, 31, 10, and 9 being the largest numbers.

With negative results, 4 Natives, 3 Europeans, and 3 Sikhs. Some of these did not appear to be cases of malaria on clinical grounds.

Also with negative results 15 unselected natives for crescents.

(b.) Nocturnal examinations of the bloods of 60 Natives for filariae, with positive results in 2 (Filaria Nocturna); both of these were from the Shire River. None were found in the natives from the Highlands.

(c) Examinations of the stools of 24 unselected natives for entozoa or their ova. Tumbrici and Tricouphali were found in 2, but in none did I find Anchylo.

stoma.

In one case of Dysentery examined, I found the Amorba Coli.

(.) Birds' bloods examined,

4

31 Finches. Halteridium found in 28.

7 Pigeons.

6.

:1

""

"

3 Willow Wrens

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And isolated birds of 9 other species, Halteridium found in 3.

In no birds did I find Proteosoma.

Five bats and a few other maminals were examined with negative results.

For clinical examinations during the period I have been here there have been 4 cases

of malaria, all with parasites, in the European hospital, but all complicated by Quinine.

At the Mission I have examined fresh bloods on several occasions, most of the patients (children) were out-patients. Persons recovered from fever have on several occasions presented themselves for examination.

Mosquitoes. They are rare in Blantyre and few people use curtains. I have found 4 species of "dapple wings." They have the same characteristic attitude, lay their eggs singly or in small groups, and the larvae in the two species in which I have reared them lie horizontally in the water, so that in the main characteristics they closely resemble

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the Indian "dapple wings" described by Ross. Larvae of other mosquitoes have been found, but with one exception I have failed to rear them.

The only common larva produces a brindle mosquito which does not frequent houses or (at least readily) bite men.

In Zomba this mosquito was found; larvae apparently identical with the Blantyre "dapple wings" but not yet hatched, and another larva also found in Blantyre and two mosquitoes which I have not found here.

I am making a close study of the habits both of the mosquitoes and their larvae as well as experiments in the method of rearing them, as they vary greatly in many respects.

Work of this kind is much wanted and will be useful and save time in

any other

place.

This work can only be said to have been commenced.

The above statement represents only the work of one of us, and therefore only a portion of the material that has been available,

I am not yet prepared to make any report on the parasitology of the malaria here. Particular attention has been paid to the deeply stained outer zone of the young forms, but I have not noted any appearances which I consider would distinguish them from forms seen elsewhere.

The following advances in our knowledge of this subject have been made during the period under review.

1. Proof of the fairly frequent formation of crescents, e.., in 3 out of the 4 cases in which I made sufficient examinations.

2. The presence of pigmented leucocytes in some cases where no pigment had been found in the parasites in the peripheral blood.

3. The presence of pigment in the ring forms in some of the cases,

These had not been observed previously.

The cycle has not been well established. I selected 4 cases as suitable ones for its determination, as the parasites on the first examination were numerous and uniform.

In 2 the parents stopped the examinations whilst still incomplete.

In 1 crescents began to appear on the third day, and there was no reappearance in numbers of intra-corpuscular parasites.

In the other the infection after the first day was very feeble.

This portion of our investigation will be more difficult and will take a longer time than would be the case in more favourable circumstances, but I believe can be done.

The difficulties are not a reason for abandoning the subject, and many of them, e.g., the use of quinine by Europeans and the objection of patients or friends to frequent examinations, are met with everywhere.

The great majority of native cases have been amongst children. Malurin, such at least as would be admitted to hospital or require treatment amongst native adults, is rare.

During 10 days whilst I was in Zomba, the following cases of" fever" applied at the hospital for treatment or were off work for that cause.

8 Sikhs out of 184 Sikhs and Indian followers.

0 Natives out of 1,096 Native Troops and Carriers. ~During the same period I knew of 3 cases of fever among the 47 European inhabi-

tants.

During the last six months there have been at Zomba an average of 732 native troops and carriers, but only 5 admissions to the native huts set apart for hospital use for ague or fever, and these were trivial. In considering the question of the advisability of going to a place where there is a large native hospital this point must be considered, as unless a fair number of children are admitted the opportunities of studying malaria will be very limited. The objection is not so great if there are a number of negroes who come from non-malarial countries, as these even as adults suffer severely from malaria.

The advantages I claim for British Central Africa are:-

1. That malaria is common.

From returns received from 115 European residents

I find that more than half have had fever within 6 months of arrival, and very few escape

in their first year.

It is also abundant in native children.

2. If my preliminary observations are confirmed, the Anchylostome is absent. This greatly reduces the difficulties in studying malarial Cachexia and Anaemia. confusion that results from the presence of this parasite in such cases is well exemplified The in the conflicting views held about " Kala Azur "in India.

error."

Filaria also are absent in the Highlands. This removes another fertile source of

1918

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE.

Reference :-

TILLICO.885

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

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