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PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :-

CO.885

7

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

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

24713.

152

No. 253.

GOLD COAST.

GOVERNOR SIR F. M. HODGSON to MR. CHAMBERLAIN.

(No. 329.)

(Received September 14, 1899.)

[Answered by No. 257.]

SIR,

Government House, Accra, August 16, 1899. I HAVE the honour to ask your approval to the establishment at Accra, in connection with the Colonial Hospital and under the immediate supervision of the Chief Medical Officer, of a laboratory for investigating and reporting upon the various forms and causes of malarial disease in this country.

2. The interest which has been taken in this important matter in England caused me to consider in what way the interests of medical science could best be served by this Government, and immediately upon my return to the Colony from leave of absence I spoke about it to Dr. Henderson, the Chief Medical Officer, and suggested that very much could be done if the Government had a laboratory for experiments, and connected with it a regular and systematic system of dealing with the reports of the illness, or illness and death, of Government Officers and other Europeans throughout the Colony, which reports would have to be made out in a manner requirements of the Chief Medical Officer, and accompanied in each instance with such meet the laboratory specimens as the nature of the case required.

to

3. The Chief Medical Officer writes with respect to the suggestion as follows

The scheme as proposed by His Excellency is, in every way, most excellent, and if carried out, should prove most beneficial to the health of the Colony and of inestimable value to the advancement of medical science."

4. There is a very suitable building for the laboratory, namely, the building erected as a Hausa Hospital which, now that the Hausa depôt has been moved to the new cantonments, is no longer used for the purpose, It stands within the Colonial Hospital grounds and is handy to the Medical Officers who would work in it.

5. The initial outlay will, it is estimated, cost under £200, and the annual expense, including upkeep, wages of caretaker, and cost of animals for experimental purposes is estimated at £120.

The

6. I have now the honour to ask your approval to the suggestion, and as I venture to hope that you will give it, I transmit an indent on the Crown Agents for a supply of apparatus the cost of which is not given as it is, I am told, not known." Legislative Council will be asked to vote the money required when I learn that you have signified your approval.

7. The necessary tables, cabinets and other requisite fittings can be made locally. 8. I should be glad if the indent could be attended to by the Crown Agents with promptitude, as, in the event of your approving the scheme, I should wish to have the laboratory fitted up and ready for use before the arrival in Acera of the delegates from the London School of Tropical Medicine, who will then have their work considerably facilitated.

I have, &c.,

25303.

SIR,

No. 254.

:

F. M. HODGSON,

Governor.

COLONIAL OFFICE to the ROYAL SOCIETY.

Downing Street, September 22, 1899.

I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to state, for the information of the Malaria Committee, that the following telegram, dated the 20th of September, has been received from Dr. C. W. Daniels, at Fort Johnston:-

"Colleagues noted detained left to-day."

• Not printed.

153

2. This telegram is an answer to a telegram sent from this Department at the instance of Sir M. Foster, on 8th of September to the following effect:-

-

""

“Work out thoroughly malarial mosquito problem, species concerned, its haunts, possible extinction, before you leave. Keep colleagues if necessary." 3. I am to suggest that in the former telegram for "noted" the word "not" should be read.

24713.

SIR,

No. 255.

GOLD COAST.

I am, &c.,

C. P. LUCAS.

COLONIAL OFFICE to Dr. P. MANSON. [Answered by No. 256.]

Downing Street, September 25, 1899.

I AM directed by Mr. Secretary Chamberlain to transmit to you, in original, to be returned, a despatcht from the Governor of the Gold Const, submitting a scheme for the establishment of a Government Laboratory at Accra for the investigation of malarial disease.

2. Mr. Chamberlain proposes to approve of the scheme but would be glad to receive any observations which you may see fit to offer with regard to the suggested equipment.

20180.

SIK,

?

No. 256.

GOLD COAST.

I am, &c.,

H. BERTRAM COX.

DR. MANSON to COLONIAL OFFICE. (Received September 28, 1899.).

21, Queen Anne Street, Cavendish Square,

September 27, 1899. a despatch from the Governor

In reply to your letter, No. 24713/99, covering of the Gold Coast to Mr. Chamberlain, submitting a scheme for the establishment of a Government laboratory at Accra for the investigation of malarial disease, I beg to say that, in my opinion, the suggestion is a good one, and one which recent discovery in connection with the cause, pathology and diagnosis of malaria, renders almost imperative. As regards the list of apparatus accompanying the Governor's despatch I would make one or two suggestions.

1. Seeing that the instruments will, in the near future, be used principally by Colonial medical officers who had previously through passed the London School of Tropical Medicine, it would be advisable that these instruments he of the same class and pattern as those in use at the school, and to which the medical officers referred to had become accustomed.

2. If this suggestion be adopted, that the superintendent of the school be requested

to revise the present and future indents for similar apparatus.

3. For the present I consider a photographic apparatus a luxury and unnecessary. 4. When the apparatus has been supplied someone should be held strictly responsible for its proper care and efficiency.

I might mention, that a short time ago a somewhat similar list of apparatus, coming from Lagos, was submitted to me. When I returned this list to the Colonial Office suggested verbally that in some respects the apparatus was not quite appropriate, and in

• No. 252.

1918

† No. 253.

+ No. 255.