An inquiry concerning the etiology of beri-beri / by Henry Fraser and A.T. Stanton.

  • Fraser, Henry, 1874-
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: An inquiry concerning the etiology of beri-beri / by Henry Fraser and A.T. Stanton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    87/374 (page 19)
    PARTY No. I (October 1907-May 1908). This party, now composed of Parties No. I A. and No. 1 B. subsequent to the change to parboiled rice, was employed for comparison with the results in Party No. II. In the case of Party No. I A. this change dates from October 12th and in the case of Party No. 1 B. from October 19th. The party continued on parboiled rice until the end of the investigation in June 1908. One group remained at Durien Tipus until transferred to the 64th mile on May 7th ; the other group, formerly at ]untai, was transferred to the 6i-J- mile on November 18th. As has alreadv been stated no case -a t y of Beri-Beri occurred in either group composing the party subsequently to the change to parboiled rice. On October 19th, all the cases of Beri-Beri eight in number (Nos. 7, 37, 57? ^o, 76, 102, 124 and 127) were at the Durien Tipus quarters. They remained in this place until November 3rd, when seven of them were sent to Hospital at Kuala Klawang; No. 37, being then too ill to be moved, remained. Attention is called to this iact as bearing still further upon the question of infection including the influence of place. In these •quarters seven cases of Beri-Beri had developed in eight weeks among an average population of about thirty. There were now eight cases of Beri- Beri in different stages in the quarters, an undoubted focus of infection if the disease were a communicable one, yet no further sign of the disease showed itself. It may be that all the susceptible individuals in this party had by this time become affected and it may be suggested that this explains the cessa- tion of the outbreak coincident with the change in diet. Against this stands the fact that on November 1st, fourteen labourers, who had just arrived from Java, joined this party while the Beri-Beri patients were still at Durien Tipus and on November 15th, twenty-two more such persons joined the party. It might have been expected that among these there would have been some who were susceptible. No. 188 who had developed the disease at Pertang (Party III) on December 28th was transferred to this party on January 5th, in order to be nearer medical care. As has been alreadv mentioned cases of Beri- j Beri were also transferred to this party from Party No. II and cases of Beri-Beri continued to develop in Party No. II while occupying the. same quarters as Party No. I. No attempt was made to isolate such cases, in this respect following the universal custom in the treatment of Beri-Beri. It resulted in consequence that cases of Beri-Beri in all stages of develop- ment were in contact with healthv people, yet at no time was there any evidence that the disease could be communicated to an individual on parboiled rice. The party under review was a large one, two hundred and two individuals were present in it at one time or another from October 1907 to May 1908. One hundred and fifty-six of these were present for not less than three months continuously and one hundred and eight for not less than six months continuously. During this period twenty-five individuals returned from hospital and twenty-one joined the party from Party No. Ill Pertang. From time to time also some joined from Party No. II. Thus it will be seen that in this large party there was abundant opportunity for the introduction of an infection, yet no sign suggestive of Beri-Beri was observed in any of its members.