PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE
0.0.
Reference :-
885
9 PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON
ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC-
COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH—NOT TO
IV.
V.
6
1st January, 1905, and that they should be asked how they propose to spend it.
(It being, of course, made clear in all three cases that the Com- mittee reserve to themselves the right to withdraw the grant, if it con- siders that proper use is not being made of the money.)
(D) The question of the disposal of the remaining funds available should stand over until answers have been received from the institutions mentioned in (A), (B) and (c).
With regard to (A), it is understood (see Appendix) that the London School of Tropical Medicine will provide from the grant
(a) salary for a teacher and investigator of protozoology. (b) salary for a teacher and investigator of helminthology.
(c) suitable laboratories and museums for investigation and teaching of fore-
going subjects.
Sir M. Foster agrees as to the urgent importance of the protozoology question, although the helminthology question appears to him to be less pressing.
He is, however, strongly of opinion that the London School of Tropical Medicine should be connected with the University of London, and that, while the Committee would do well in establishing a post of protozoology, the post ought to be a University of London post, a professorship or lectureship. He considers that, while the post may have special connexion with the London School, its teaching ought to be avail- able for others also.
In his opinion the matter requires very careful consideration, and will need much negotiation and consultation with various persons. He would propose to earmark a certain sum for protozoology, and determine afterwards exactly how it was to be spent. He would also propose to allot, at the same time, provisionally, a smaller sum for helminthology, and leave that wholly in the hands of the London School, although he considers that there is much to be said for treating this like the protozoology.
,
It will probably be generally conceded that it is desirable to affiliate the London School of Tropical Medicine to the University of London, and it is understood that a petition was presented by the School to the University on the 5th of February last, asking for recognition, but that the University is unable to accede to the petition, as the School has no permanent endowment.
It is suggested, as a possible solution: (1) that the two chairs of protozoology and helminthology should be established in the first place at the London School of Tropical Medicine, but that, as soon as this has been done, the University should be again approached with a view to getting the School affiliated. The prospects of success would be increased by the fact that the School would then have two endowed chairs; (2) that the teaching should be available, not only for the students at the School, but also for outsiders; (3) that the nominees of the Schools for the two chairs should, in the first instance," be approved of by the Tropical Diseases Investigation Committee of the Royal Society.
The Committee is an administrative body, and does not possess adequate technical knowledge. It is, therefore, desirable that it should obtain, if possible, the assistance of the Tropical Diseases Investigation Committee, taking their advice as to how to spend the moiety devoted to research, and asking them to help the Committee in its application.
It is, therefore, proposed that the Royal Society be approached with a view to making the necessary arrangements.
It has been suggested that the Committee should require brief business, not scientific, reports from the bodies or persons to whom grants are made, showing what use has been made of the monies granted, that the Committee themselves should make a yearly report of what has been done, to be distributed to the various authorities which have given their money, and to be published somewhere.
It is presumed that in the case of research, conducted under the direction of the Royal Society's Committee, the investigators would address their scientific reports to that Committee, which would in turn furnish. our Committee with brief general reports from time to time.
7
APPENDIX (SIR PATRICK MANSON'S PROPOSAL).
Of the several departments of biological science having a special bearing on medicine, bacteriology, protozoology and helminthology hold a leading place.
All departments of medicine are profoundly interested in bacteriology, and therefore this science is every where studied, and occupies a prominent place in the teaching and research work of all our medical schools.
It is otherwise with protozoology and helminthology; their bearing, though very important, is much more limited, being practically confined to tropical medicine. Therefore, their scope being so limited (in the main extra-European), they have been comparatively neglected, there being very few serious students of either branch, and nowhere, so far as I know, any systematic teaching.
Apart from their special importance in the diseases of tropical and subtropical man, such studies and teaching should have a high economic value, for protozoology and helminthology are leading branches, and ought to be extensively taught as such, in veterinary medicine, more especially in colonial veterinary medicine.
In view of the approximately adequate teaching of bacteriology in our medical schools and institutions, but of the neglect, almost total, of protozoology and helmin- thology, and of the special bearing of these two latter subjects on tropical medicine and of the opportunities for their study and application supplied by the London School of Tropical Medicine, I would submit the following proposal.
That of the money at the disposal of the Secretary of State for the Colonies £1,000 per annum be handed to the London School of Tropical Medicine to furnish salaries for :-
(a) a teacher and investigator on protozoology.
(b) a teacher and investigator on helminthology.
(c) to fit out suitable laboratories and museums for investigation and teaching
of these subjects.
As few have an adequate knowledge either of protozoology or helminthology, fully instructed men will be difficult or impossible to get.
I would suggest, therefore, that two promising young men be selected to pursue respectively these subjects, and be sent to the Continent or elsewhere on a small salary to place themselves abreast of the latest knowledge and methods.
After six months' study at the best Continental centres, they might return to
the Tropical School and take up research and a small amount of teaching.
To encourage them to keep on with the work they should be given annual increases of salary, and I would propose the following scale :-
five
3
3
Protozoology. Helminthology.
Balanco.
£
lat year
250
250
500
...
2nd year...
300
300
400
3rd year ...
350
350
300
4th year
400
400
200
5th year ...
450
450
100
6th year...
500
500
nil
2,250
2,250
1,500
2,250
4,500
In this way, six years' work could be secured in London on £1,000 a year for years, and £500 left as a balance for fitting out and maintaining laboratories and museums,
I believe that such a scheme would add very greatly to our knowledge of the cause and prevention of tropical diseases of man and animals, and, moreover, turn out a number of highly qualified men, capable of advancing the subjects, and who would make the Empire independent of Continental experts, besides being of enormous assistance in helping the Colonies in the management of epizootics.
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