Research into the trypanosomiasis problem : a critical consideration of suggested measures : with discussion and report of the Glossina Sub-Committee / by Warrington Yorke.

  • Warrington Yorke
Date:
[1920]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Research into the trypanosomiasis problem : a critical consideration of suggested measures : with discussion and report of the Glossina Sub-Committee / by Warrington Yorke. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    would thus be in a position to co-ordinate the work, to prevent overlapping, and to arrange promptly for the testing under divers conditions of any new hypothesis that may be put forward. As the work progresses, it is probable that special lines of inquiry will become necessary, for which the aid of a protozoologist or veterinarian may be required, and provision should be made for such eventualities. It will be observed that what, in brief, the report recommends is (i) that there shall be set up at least six different experimental stations in widely-separated places in Tropical Africa; (2) that each of these stations should be under the control of a competent ento¬ mologist, who should have at least one assistant who would be able to carry on the work in the event of the senior man falling sick or going on leave; and (3) that each station should send in a monthly report to the Imperial Bureau, which would then be in a position to co-ordinate the work Now the sum of .£,50,000 (if such a sum can be raised) has been mentioned as the cost of this organisation over a period of five years. A brief calculation will, however, shew that such a sum, which allows for an annual expenditure by each experimental station of ^1,700, is totally inadequate for the purpose. Such an amount is hope¬ lessly insufficient to provide for salaries, transport, camps, labour, equipment and leave of the personnel of the Commission; there will be no balance for the purpose of experiment and investigation,' to say nothing of the many other incidental expenses inseparable from such undertakings, and the possibility of any experimental work requiring the employment of labour is completely excluded. The first criticism I have to make, therefore, is that if the above recommendations are adopted, a much greater sum than ^50,000 must be provided. Let us, however, assume for the moment that money is a matter of no consequence, and proceed to consider whether such an organisation as this is likely to succeed in obtaining the information which will enable the Imperial Bureau to answer the questions which it enumerates within a period of five years. It is admitted that “ unfortunately at the present time there are a very tew men who combine the requisite qualifications and experience for this class of work.” In order to get over this difficulty it is proposed to start with only two stations and concentrate the “ new men ”. in these for training purposes. Now the task of training these “ new men ” would obviously be a lengthy one ; ill trained men who were ignorant of the literature of the subject, which is already rather extensive, and who know neither Africa nor the native or his language, could hardly be expected to advance knowledge of this most complex subject very much. If four of the proposed stations, therefore, require to be staffed by “ new men,” nothing very valuable in the way of information is to be anticipated from them for a number of years. Again, if we assume that this difficulty can be surmounted and sufficient well-trained entomologists can be found within, say, a year, to provide each of the six experimental stations with its full staff of one competent entomologist and at least one assistant, would such an organisation prove adequate to the task which is required of it ? If allowances be made for such contingencies as sickness and furlough, it is clear that during a considerable proportion of the five years there would be in each station only one entomologist—a condition of affairs not far removed from that which has obtained during the past ten years. Realising these facts, we must ask ourselves whether it is probable that the solution of the problems enumerated in the report would be obtained within any reasonable space of time by such an organisation. Let us for a moment consider several of the more important problems which it is proposed that the one or two men in each of these widely scattered stations are expected to investigate :— 1. What are the precise factors that determine the limits of a fly area ? 2. In the open “orchard bush” so much frequented by G. morsitans is it sufficient to clear away shrubs and branches of trees to a height of twelve or fifteen feet, or must trees of twenty to thirty feet be felled ? 3. What is the minimum width of cleared belt that would effectively check the spread of the fly ?
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