Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia.

  • Southern Rhodesia. Department of Health.
Date:
[1922]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    25/46 (page 23)
    included in a stock vaccine it would be necessary to prove that they were responsible for a large number of cases. 8. Gonorrhoea.—Forty-two examinations gave 14 positives and 3 probables. This disease is often difficult to diagnose, and where smears are negative other tests should be tried. A skin test (resembling the tuberculin test) seems likely to give good results. Other organisms, moreover, can cause similar symptoms; for instance, diphtheroid bacilli. An interesting case occurred in which smears showed only gonococci, and cultures gave only diphtheroids. A vaccine was made from the diphtheroid (in desperation); it cured the patient rapidly! 9. Diphtheroid Bacilli.—These organisms are little understood and are interesting owing to their varying shape and the possibility of con¬ verting them into other organisms such as staphylococci and streptococci, while the case just quoted would point to a similar connection with gonococci. During the year I studied a fair number of those isolated from various conditions, and with accumulation of facts hope to elucidate some of their peculiarities. They are extremely common and deserve study therefore. 10. Syphilis.—Serum was decomplementised 24 times and sent off for the Wasserman test. Five direct examinations were made for the organism (T. pallida), with one positive result. I am in correspondence with Oxford University regarding the Sachs Giorgi test, as their standard method seems as good as the Wasserman, is simpler and also gives a good idea of the patient’s progress. 11. Tick Fever.—Three negative examinations. We have had no positives for some years. 12. Trypanosomiasis.—Seven smears from a case infected with T. Rhodesiense were examined. 13. Diphtheria.—Three positives (in one case from the ear) out of 18 examinations. There must have been very few cases. 14. Dysentery (bacillary and protozoal).—Twenty-one examinations showed E. histolytica 5 times, giardia (lamblia) twice and E. coli once. One case showed both amoebic and bacillary infection, agglutinating B. dysenteric (Shiga) strongly. Our cases seem usually bacillary. 15. Schistosomiasis (Bilharzia).—Forty-four examinations gave 29 positives, as opposed to 15 examinations and 4 positives last year. The disease is either more prevalent or more frequently suspected. No further snails were asked for in view of last year’s disappointing re¬ sponse. I received an offer of some from Bulawayo, which I accepted gratefully, but so far none has been received. I think that (when black- water has been disposed of) this subject should be chosen for research. Meanwhile it would do good if municipalities and Native Commissioners instructed the natives (of whom 30 per cent, are infected) not to urinate near streams or ponds. This would lessen the amount of infection enormously, as there is no other way of keeping up the infectivity of a stream. The usual precautions against bathing should of course be observed too. The question of swimming baths is of importance, but as the cercariae do not live long in water (though they can pass through filter beds apparently), and as the water takes some time to reach the swimming