Annual medical and sanitary report / Tanganyika Territory.

  • Tanganyika. Medical Department.
Date:
[1926]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual medical and sanitary report / Tanganyika Territory. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    19/168 (page 13)
    Deficiency Diseases. A few isolated outbreaks of scurvy have occurred amongst the labourers in the Morogoro district. It would appear that they were due to the poor quality of the rations supplied on the plantations. This was not so much the fault of the employers, but of the con¬ tractors supplying foodstuffs which had deteriorated and were unfit for consumption. Periodic surprise visits of inspection should be paid to plantations by the Labour Officers and whenever possible by members of the medical staff. A few heavy fines would have a salutary effect. The new diet for long term prisoners resulted in a definite improvement in the health and mortality rate of the prisoners during the year. The following figures shew that there was a further reduction in the percentage of deaths to the daily average number of prisoners during 1926. Number of Deaths 1923. 76 1924. 76 1925. 59 1926. 60 Daily average number of Prisoners during year I397-50 1736-60 1760-12 1858-80 Total number of Prisoners during year 7571 9947 9091 8460 Percentage of Deaths to average number of Prisoners 5-36 4-3i 3*30 3-22 Percentage of Deaths to total number of Prisoners 1-00 0-76 0-65 0-70 The general aspect of Vitamin deficiencies was dealt with in the annual report of 1925 but as time goes on the conviction increases that over a very large area of the Ter¬ ritory the population is afflicted with a state of semi-starvation for lengthy periods of the year, and this, year after year. Some definite early movement of relief in this direction is indicated and it is suggested that a self-contained department composed of a whole¬ time technical staff, with seconded officers if necessary, be appointed, to investigate and advise as to how the situation may be improved. I would rather forego a certain amount of expansion of the medical staff in order to bring this about, for I consider it to be one of the most important and pressing questions of the moment.