CO885-24 — Page 446

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

PILICO. 885

24 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

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

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and making use of, the present Health Department in Castries. This is, however, a matter for further consideration when the time is ripe.

4. Upon examining, shortly after my arrival here the conditions upon which the ankylostomiasis eradication campaign was being conducted, I discovered this missing lmk in its perfect working, and I have for some time been in communication with Dr Howard, the Director of the Commission at Trinidad, with a view to coming to some arrangement for tiding over the period until the Government has the machinery and is able to bear the whole financial responsibility of the sanitary side of the campaign. I hope to make a satisfactory arrangement shortly, and in any case the Government is fully alive to the importance of prosecuting the cam- paign in regard to its sanitary as well as its medicinal side.

5. Regulations are at present being drafted under the Public Health Act, and will shortly be promulgated, making the erection of latrinage of certain approved types compulsory in the country districts, both by owners of plantations for their labourers as well as by individual owners of houses. In the towns and villages this is already the law.

6. It is pleasing to note that, notwithstanding the defect discussed in this despatch, Dr. Branch considers that the result of the past six months' campaign has been satisfactory.

His Excellency

SIR,

Sir G. B. Haddon-Smith, K.C.M.G.,

&c., &c., &c.,

Grenada.

I have, &c.,

GIDEON MURRAY,

Administrator.

Enclosure in No. 10.

Rockefeller Foundation Office, Castries, 17th July, 1915. I HAVE the honour to submit, for the information of His Excellency the Governor, the Director for the West Indies, and yourself, the following report, with classification tables and appendices, on the working of the hookworm eradication campaign in St. Lucia during the first two quarters of the year 1915.

2 Dr. Howard, on his visit to St. Lucia in November, 1914, directed that an extensive campaign should be opened on 1st January in the Cul de Sac Valley. An area was mapped out with an approximate population of 2,000, and a budget of expenditure for the first quarter submitted and approved. The boundaries of this area are attached as Appendix A. It practically includes half of the Cul de Sac Valley,

3. For the second quarter I submitted a budget and a proposal to continue the work, in the same valley, to form a complete whole from the sea to the Barre de l'Isle, between the summits of the ridges on the north and south forming the natural boun- daries of the entire valley. The boundaries of the second area are attached as Appendix B, and the map of the two areas combined forms Appendix C.*

4. In addition to the Medical Officer in charge and his clerk, the staff con- sisted of two microscopists and two series of nurses. This was further supple- mented by a third series of nurses during the second quarter: each series of nurses consisted of a head and an assistant nurse. All the staff employed were males, young, energetic natives of the Colony.

5. The central office was established in the town of Castries, where all the book work was performed. The campaign is much indebted to the kindness of Mr. E. G. Bennett, Managing Director of the Cul de Sac Valley, for the use of his private bungalow in the valley. In this building was established the field office, where the microscopists worked daily.

6. The area of campaign was a large sinuous valley, gradually narrowing down to a gorge through which rushes a mountain stream from the Barre de l'Isle. Irregularly steep and rugged ridges separate the valley from those of Roseau on the south and Castries on the north, and still more rugged ridges branch down these sides into the valley itself, forming innumerable ravines and gullies of varying sizes The area is very beautiful in its ruggedness, with its masses of dense tropical

*Not transmitted, to Colonial Office.

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growth, while the flatter lands are an attractive picture of superb cane cultivation intermixed with the more permanent crops of cocoa and lime. The main feature of the valley is the factory, one of the four in the Colony, which, in addition to 1,500 tons of sugar, turns out a gradually increasing return of cocoa and lime products. The factory lands stretch from the sea to Ravine Poisson, a distance of about seven miles, and have rail communication for over five. Apart from the Company there is no other large landed proprietor. The smaller gullies and the sides of the hill are occupied by a labouring peasantry, who own or rent small plots where they cultivate their "gardens" with annual crops of vegetables and a small acreage in cocoa.

7. The Company provides groups of barrack-rooms for its labourers. These are situated at Crown Lands, Soucis, Ferrand, and L'Abbaye, and a section of Ciceron called Monkey Town. Crown Lands and Soucis have been treated as separate localities in the statistical returns. These barracks are provided free of rent to bona fide labourers. Except that the occupier must occasionally do some work on the factory lands there is no other restriction placed on him; and there is in consequence a hopeless disregard of hygiene and sanitation; uncovered taches breeding mosquitoes, overgrowth, and mud puddles with the dejecta of pigs, human beings, and other animals lying about in the spaces between the hutments. interior of the rooms are grimy, and darkened by the smoke of years of cooking on open fireplaces as well as from the smoke of burning green wood to keep off the masses of mosquitoes which at times swarm through the settlements. Many an occupant goes to his wooden couch at night unwashed, never having taken the trouble to wash the mud from his extremities; many a time his shirt is only removed when a new one is bought; the members of the household sleep all together in the one room, some on, and others under, the wooden couch.

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8. The peasantry, other than those tenanting barrack-rooms, fall into two groups, one occupying houses built of mud and wattle with thatched roofs, the other having more permanent habitations of woodwork with a shingled or galvanized roof. The latter are naturally more well-to-do, some with small cattle mills for the manu- facture of syrup, others with a small acreage of full-grown cocoa, as well as gardens." The cleanliness or otherwise of these groups depends naturally on the individual idiosyncrasy resulting from their education and the degree of civilization to which they may be said to have attained. A very large percentage have clean and tidy rooms; the parents neatly dressed-always so on Sundays, if they have to attend mass; the children well cared for and sent regularly to school. Every house, however small, has an ante-room and a bedroom; and the family, however large, has to be accommodated on the available floor space. At night the windows and doors are closed, and every chink sealed with rag to prevent the entry of night air, jumbies, or other fancied nocturnal enemies; but little notice is taken of those enemies that have a very definite existence in the house itself. All this class of house is supplied with a little thatched kitchen. It is invariably the presence of this kind of outhouse that leads me to hope that in the very near future we could have another—a clean and serviceable privy for the use of the family.

9. Only at Ciceron are the habitations placed closely enough together on either side of the Government high road so as in any sense to resemble a village. Owing to the way in which the houses elsewhere are scattered about I have had to make arbitrary divisions of the area into districts. These districts are all in communica- tion with each other and with Castries in a more or less direct way through high- or by-roads; but a house in a district may be separated from its nearest neigh- bour by an impassable ravine or a thicket of virgin forest. I have known a nurse get lost trying to pass from a house on one ridge to a house on the opposite ridge, and I have myself taken four hours to visit on horseback half-a-dozen houses and get back on to the nearest high road.

It was

10. The nursing staff were required to live in the valley so as to be in constant touch, early in the morning and late in the evening, with the peasantry. found that no less than four of them were already infected; prompt measures were taken in their treatment to reader them more efficient in their work. I regret to say that during their residence in the valley they suffered considerably from malarial fever. They would not indulge in mosquito nets, and had to resort to an almost daily dosage of quinine. I cannot claim that the actual percentage of cure is as high as one might expect; but the staff has been untiring in its energy to overcome the natural apathy and inertia of the native peasantry, and I feel confident that during the next campaign we will be able to work faster and give a higher percentage of cures.

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owth, while the flatter lands are an attractive picture of superb cane cultivation ermixed with the more permanent crops of cocoa and lime. The main feature of valley is the factory, one of the four in the Colony, which, in addition to 1,500 1s of sugar, turns out a gradually increasing return of cocoa and lime products. e factory lands stretch from the sea to Ravine Poisson, a distance of about seven les, and have rail communication for over five. Apart from the Company there is other large landed proprietor. The smaller gullies and the sides of the hill are upied by a labouring peasantry, who own or rent small plots where they cultivate eir "gardens" with annual crops of vegetables and a small acreage in cocoa. 7. The Company provides groups of barrack-rooms for its labourers. a situated at Crown Lands, Soucis, Ferrand, and L'Abbaye, and a section of ceron called Monkey Town, Crown Lands and Soucis have been treated as These barracks are provided free of parate localities in the statistical returns.

These

The

at to bona fide labourers. Except that the occupier must occasionally do some ork on the factory lands there is no other restriction placed on him; and there is in nsequence a hopeless disregard of hygiene and sanitation; uncovered taches eeding mosquitoes, overgrowth, and mud puddles with the dejecta of pigs, human ings, and other animals lying about in the spaces between the hutments. terior of the rooms are grimy, and darkened by the smoke of years of cooking on en fireplaces as well as from the smoke of burning green wood to keep off the asses of mosquitoes which at times swarm through the settlements. Many an cupant goes to his wooden couch at night unwashed, never having taken the ouble to wash the mud from his extremities; many a time his shirt is only removed hen a new one is bought; the members of the household sleep all together in the one om, some on, and others under, the wooden couch.

8. The peasantry, other than those tenanting barrack-rooms, fall into two oups, one occupying houses built of mud and wattle with thatched roofs, the other ving more permanent habitations of woodwork with a shingled or galvanized roof. he latter are naturally more well-to-do, some with small cattle mills for the manu- cture of syrup, others with a small acreage of full-grown cocoa, as well as gardens." The cleanliness or otherwise of these groups depends naturally on the dividual idiosyncrasy resulting from their education and the degree of civilization which they may be said to have attained. A very large percentage have clean id tidy rooms; the parents neatly dressed-always so on Sundays, if they have to tend mass; the children well cared for and sent regularly to school. Every house, >wever small, has an ante-room and a bedroom; and the family, however large, has be accommodated on the available floor space. At night the windows and doors e closed, and every chink sealed with rag to prevent the entry of night air, jumbies, ⚫ other fancied nocturnal enemies; but little notice is taken of those enemies that ave a very definite existence in the house itself. All this class of house is supplied ith a little thatched kitchen. It is invariably the presence of this kind of outhouse at leads me to hope that in the very near future we could have another-a clean ad serviceable privy for the use of the family.

9 Only at Ciceron are the habitations placed closely enough together on either de of the Government high road so as in any sense to resemble a village. Owing the way in which the houses elsewhere are scattered about I have had to make rbitrary divisions of the area into districts. These districts are all in communica- on with each other and with Castries in a more or less direct way through high- or y-roads; but a house in a district may be separated from its nearest neigh- our by an impassable ravine or a thicket of virgin forest. I have known a nurse et lost trying to pass from a house on one ridge to a house on the opposite ridge, nd I have myself taken four hours to visit on horseback half-a-dozen houses and get. ack on to the nearest high road.

It was

10. The nursing staff were required to live in the valley so as to be in constant uch, early in the morning and late in the evening, with the peasantry. ound that no less than four of them were already infected; prompt measures were iken in their treatment to reader them more efficient in their work. I regret to ay that during their residence in the valley they suffered considerably from malarial ever. They would not indulge in mosquito nets, and had to resort to an almost aily dosage of quinine. I cannot claim that the actual percentage of cure is as igh as one might expect; but the staff has been untiring in its energy to overcome the atural apathy and inertia of the native peasantry, and I feel confident that during he next campaign we will be able to work faster and give a higher percentage of cures.

C

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE

Reference :--

CO. 885

24 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-

COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO