War against tropical disease : being seven sanitary sermons addressed to all interested in tropical hygiene and administration / by Andrew Balfour.
- Andrew Balfour
- Date:
- 1921
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: War against tropical disease : being seven sanitary sermons addressed to all interested in tropical hygiene and administration / by Andrew Balfour. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![sides prior to their first flight upon the blood quest. The culprit was a clerk who, against orders, had adopted this method of storing his drinks and had taken no precaution against mosquito invasion. I fined him, but I had also to fine myself, for I was primarily responsible, and I do not doubt but that in the Inspector’s mess there was much joy over my delinquency. The Inspector has to be very wide awake, for mosquitoes sometimes breed in queer places. I remember a high official complaining to me that he was having a bad time with Stegomyia. Mosquitoes of this genus had recently been brought into Khartoum in large numbers by the river steamers, and had, I am inclined to think, been the cause of a small epidemic of horse-sickness.1 This, however, by the way. As no breeding-places could be discovered, I was nearly driven to the conclusion that these mosquitoes were survivors of the invasion, for, as you probably know, Stegomyia fasciata is a long-lived insect. However, I fortunately asked the Inspector, a temporary, inexperienced man, if he had examined the rooms as well as the verandah. He had not done so, and further search revealed the presence of larvae in the water contained in small tin receptacles in which the legs of the ice-chest stood as a protection against the thieving propensities of ants. Recently I found a similar state of matters in the Mess at Wau, in the Bahr-El-Ghazal Province. One more illustration and I have done. A certain Company took up the question of converting the “ Sudd,” that matted growth of papyrus, vossia grass, reeds and rushes, into fuel, and sent a steamer and old ferry-boat south to experiment. One morning our Inspector at Khartoum North rang me up in alarm and wellnigh in despair. The ferry-boat had returned full of “ Sudd,” and full also of mosquitoes, which were flying ashore in a black cloud, seeking whom they might devour. Prompt action was necessary. The Inspector was ordered to engage special men on the spot, take the laboratory steamer, and tow the offending craft down the Nile to the lonely and sandy Tuti Island, where the cargo was to be discharged and the holds oiled. It was a cheerful task. The ferry-boat had no helm, and she and the steamer went waltzing down stream, while the unfortunate experimenter tore his hair in despair, and eventually invaded my sanctum to find out how he really stood, and to learn the enormity of his methods. I must say he was most reasonable. We were able to meet him half-way, and the threatened invasion was averted; but these episodes wifi show you how varied are the duties of our Inspectors when on mosquito prevention work. As regards other diseases, I need say little. I have mentioned smallpox. One has alwa5^s to be on the watch that, during chicken-pox epidemics, smallpox cases may not occur and be missed. Chicken pox, as in India, tends to occur in April and to be a disease of adults—a point of considerable importance. As you know, in unvaccinated communities smallpox reverts to its old type and becomes a disease of infants and of children—one sure proof of the preventive action of vaccination. Happily the native is now well protected and smallpox is rare, but it may be introduced, and then measures must be taken similar to those employed elsewhere. 1 recall a romantic incident in connection with a case which will give you an insight into another aspect of the Inspector’s life. Tf you will you may cal] it the temptation aspect. 1 This is an interesting question, which has not been settled; but there is some evidence to show that winged insects are the vectors of the virus of horse-sickness. An unex¬ pected breeding- place for mosquitoes Smallpox cases may be over¬ looked in chicken- pox epidemics](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29811752_0025.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
