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in ships trading to the East, as it does not live nor is easily carried over raised uplands.

(2) There are no recorded cases of yellow fever on the books here, which are the only ones I have seen. Mild cases might be confounded with bilious remittent malarial fever.

(3) The importance is, that of an infected animal reaching the coast, when should the fly bite such animal and a person, as following the line of instinct for breeding purposes in the fly, a cycle through fresh stock is quickly assumed.

(4) We have got the fly (intermediate host). I do not know if the "

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"}

SIR,

germ or organism carried by this mosquito is here. But all the necessary conditions for its growth are, and are the same as are given in the second point raised.

The second point raised is: The same fly also is an intermediate host for the organism the Filaria nocturna (F. Bancrofti). This I suspect is in the country on the coast, because :-

(A) It is not easily killed, but becomes more active with great heat

(above 75° F.).

(B) The presence of boils during the hot season is not at present obviously accounted for unless some pus-determining agent is here, as this organism.

(c) Because of the great heat this organism is unlikely to be any of the three common ones severally found in abscesses in Europe, which are easily killed at these temperatures.

The conditions. High temperature, sea coast level, high barometric pressure, animal refuse on a shore and near fresh water are the ideal conditions for the yellow fever organism.

We might expect an outbreak of yellow fever confined to the coast region if the one link of an infected animal be supplied.

My suggestions are: Examination among natives and patients for the Filaria nocturna in their blood. For the present pro- hibit all but European live stock being imported, to include also monkeys and guinea pigs from all sources.

Deputy Commissioner.-A prohibition is perhaps not necessary, but all officers at coast ports should be warned to report any such arrivals for my instructions.

E. S.

On a report that we have filaria nocturna, the coast towns should adopt a policy of drainage by the dry earth system, instead of at present throwing such matter on the shore; and breeding in the fresh water they require in the mosquitos killed off by preventing them which to hatch out their eggs. The reason for the former depends on the fresh water which lies on such a shore with the drainage matter, and a second unknown factor dependent on animal and not vegetable débris where the yellow fever germ is concerned and washed in salt water.

Deputy Commissioner. — Please cir- culate to Bulhar and Zeyla. Local ad- ministrative officers should take steps as far as they are able.

E. 8.

These suggestions may be taken as essentially complete as up to the present. The men who are doing investigation work on this subject do not find any method of dealing with the organisms as distinguished from the fly in either of the conditions of danger to which its presence exposes us.

I have, &c.,

A. J. M. PAGET,

Senior Medical Officer.

To His Majesty's Acting Deputy Commissioner

for His Majesty's Commissioner and Commander-in-Chief.

159

No. 191.

HONG KONG.

GOVERNOR SIR M. NATHAN to MR. LYTTELTON.

(Received July 28, 1905.)

[Answered by No. 192.]

Government House, Hong Kong, June 24, 1905. I HAVE the honour to enclose a copy of a letter from Dr. F. W. Clark, Principal Civil Medical Officer, on a scheme by which it has been proposed that directors should be transferred in rotation between the Bacteriological Institutes of Ceylon, the Straits Settlements and Hong Kong with an additional term of teaching work at the School of Tropical Medicine in London.

2. I am not aware whether the scheme as outlined in this letter is under your consideration, but in the event of your approving its adoption, I have the honour to report, for your information, that this Government will be glad to join in it if the conditions as to salaries, &c., are acceptable.

SIR,

(No. 118.)

Enclosure in No. 191.

I have, &c.,

M. NATHAN,

Governor.

Sanitary Board Office, June 19, 1905. I HAVE the honour to submit, for the consideration of His Excellency the Governor, the outline of a scheme which was propounded by Sir Patrick Manson at a dinner recently held in London on behalf of the London School of Tropical Medicine.

It amounts merely to a development of the present scheme governing the appoint- ment of a director of the Bacteriological laboratory of the Straits Settlements (at Kuala Lumpor), which is, that the medical tutor at the London School of Tropical Medicine shall do three years research work at Kuala Lumpor, and then three years teaching work in London. It is now proposed to bring Ceylon and Hong Kong into this scheme, so that each director would do three years in Hong Kong, three years in Kuala Lumpor, three years in Ceylon and three years in London, with intervals for leave, of course.

These officers would not, I presume, be on the permanent staff, but would be under agreements with the respective Governments, while a certain amount of continuity and provision for routine duties during leave would be provided for by a permanent assistant at each place.

I think that the scheme is an admirable one, and well calculated to produce the best results in the matter both of research work and of teaching, and should His Excellency approve generally, I would suggest that, in the first instance, infor- mation might be obtained from the Government of the Straits Settlements as to the terms of the agreement between that Government and the London School of Tropical Medicine in respect of their laboratory at Kuala Lumpor.

I have, &c.,

FRANCIS W. CLARK,

Principal Civil Medical Officer.

(Please see page 1,105 of "The British Medical Journal," of the 20th May, 1905.)

The Honourable

F. H. May, C.M.G.,

Colonial Secretary.

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