Annual medical report / Northern Nigeria.

  • Northern Nigeria (Nigeria). Medical Department.
Date:
[1910]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual medical report / Northern Nigeria. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    9/28 page 9
    The Northern Nigeria Medical Report 1910. Kurumis. They are an ideal nursery for tsetse flies: and, as a matter of fact, Drs. Simpson and Scott- Macfie found Palpalis in every Kurumi examined. On investigation, it was evident that the Natives were in the habit of mistaking several different diseases—notably Cerebro—Spinal—Meningitis—for Sleeping Sickness; but there was also every reason to believe that Trypanosomiasis was endemic in the district. It was further evident that the malady was not a recent importation, as had been reported: for the deputy headman of Kateri, himself a man of over forty, stated that he could remember the malady ever since he was a half-grown boy in his father’s time. When on arrival at Kateri, all its inhabitants, 80 in number, were apparently well—all the sick having died before our arrival. The whole 80 people were examined and blood films were taken from all— 34 who shewed enlargement of the cervical glands. In none of the cases was the cervical enlargement, well-marked: in fact, it was made out with difficulty in some of the cases; and, in a few of them, was confined to one side. Dr. Scott-Macfie discovered a Trypanosoma in the blood of one of the women; but careful examination failed to discover the parasite in any other case. At several other villages in the district, blood was taken from people who exhibited slightly enlarged cervical glands; but, in all cases, without any positive result. The blood films were all carefully re-examined at Zungeru; but, again, the parasite was only seen in one—to wit that from the woman at Kateri. The Kadaras are, as a rule, a bright intelligent race of Pagans: and they are very industrious. They wear very little clothing: a few of the headmen wear short gowns; the men wear skin aprons, or small loin cloths; and the women and children are well nigh stark naked. This scantiness of clothing, combined with their inveterate love of living in kurumis and the wide distribution of Glossina Palpalis in their country, renders them peculiarly vulnerable to the cause of Sleeping Sickness. They stick to their kurumis: because they fear to be captured as slaves, if they build their huts in the open country. Of course, this danger is practically non-existent now; but it will take a considerable time to re-assure these Pagan communities, who have been concealing themselves from slave raiders for centuries. Unlike their semi-civilized Mahommedan neighbours and persecutors, they are free from Syphilis: and—so far as we know, the Pagans suffer much more from Sleeping Sickness than do the Mahammedans—it will be most interesting to see if later scientific research demonstrate that the Spirochaeta Pallida confers a certain amount of immunity, on the part of its host, towards its kindred protozoon, the Trypanosoma. On the 7th of December, I left the other members of the party on the Railway, and, after a flying visit to headquarters, marched on to Naraguta. My reason for proceeding to Naraguta was that I might advise His Excellency, who himself arrived there on the 29th of December, touching the selection of a site for the administrative headquarters of the tinmining country. The country in the neighbourhood of Naraguta is full of good sites: so that the selection of one presents no difficulty whatever. I selected what I considered the best site at Naraguta; His Excellency on going over it, approved the selection; and arrangements were made to proceed forthwith with the erection of temporary native buildings: pending the erection of permament ones later, if Naraguta should eventually prove to be the real centre of the tin area. While at Naraguta, also, I had the opportunity of advising several members of the mining community touching the laying out of their camps. 4. Throughout the country, the people are gradually being induced to give up planting within the bounds of their compounds, and to keep a clear area, around the inhabited parts of their towns, bare of cultivation and long grass. This principle, however, can only be carried out very gradually among a most conservative people whose habits have been stereotyped for many centuries. Steady efforts are also being made to secure the the universal principle of surrounding wells with parapets, to prevent their contamination. The principle, naturally at work already in some parts of the country, of having the market outside of the town-wall is being encouraged: and attempts are being made to induce the headmen to construct caravansaries beside the extra-mural markets; so that the floating population may be kept outside of the towns and, so far as possible, from contact with the local women. Mosquito-borne, fly-borne and tick-borne diseases, water-borne diseases and leprosy need to have constant war waged against them: as is the case throughout West Africa. But, in the Mahommedan part of Northern Nigeria—by far the most important area of the country—I can say, without the slightest fear of contradiction, that venereal diseases work more havoc than do all the diseases, mentioned above, put together. In the Sudan, venereal diseases have always followed the track of the trader particularly the track of the Arab trader. The European has been familiar with them at home, and, consequently, they do not appeal to his imagination so dramatically as do the so-called tropical diseases; but they are all the more dangerous on this account. Syphilis and Gonorrhoea account for a larger number of the numerous cases of blindness— generally ascribed by the Natives and non-medical Europeans to Small-pox—; Syphilis causes an enormous amount of abortion, still-birth, and infantile mortality; and it is no exaggeration to say that, outside of the Pagan country, one half of the women of child-bearing age are barren on account of early Gonorrhoea. This state of affairs tends to keep the population stationary, or even decreasing. Our advent has stopped slave-raiding and internecine wars, which, formerly, were the great hindrancies to increase of population; but it has made practically the entire country safe for the trader, and he carries venereal disease wherever he goes. So far as we know, the Pagans, in their hitherto isolated communities, are practically free from venereal diseases; but there is very great reason to believe that Sleeping Sickness has always been endemic among some of them. Our advent has brought security to the Pagan, as well as to the Mahommedan trader. The Pagan does not altogether realise this yet; but, when he does, he will emerge from his ancient seclusion and will mingle with other races. The inevitable result of this will be the spread of venereal diseases among the Pagan: and it is quite possible that the foci of the Sleeping Sickness will be multiplied.
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