Annual report of the Medical Department / Colony of Seychelles.

  • Seychelles. Medical Department.
Date:
[1912]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Annual report of the Medical Department / Colony of Seychelles. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    CHAPTER III. Diseases prevalent during the year. There was no outbreak of infectious or contagious disease during the year, the health of the population was good. Beri-heri.— Beri-beri which formerly caused considerable trouble in the Outlying Islands seems to have practically dis¬ appeared. At Saint Pierre Island where there had been several severe outbreaks in former years, there were no cases. Bengal rice is still being used. CHAPTER IY. State of the Town of Yictoria. The sanitary condition of the town of Yictoria is on the whole satisfactory but there is considerable overcrowding in the Centra] parts of the town inhabited by the Indian shop¬ keepers, there are more and more of these people coming to Mah6 every year and they for the most part crowd into the already circumscribed area where they carry on their trade. Water supply.— The water supply is plentiful and good. Scavengering, etc.— The cleaning of the streets and the night soil service were satisfactorily carried out. CHAPTER Y. Reports of the Assistant Medical Officers. Praslin Hospital.— The Assistant Medical Officer, Praslin, again points out the necessity of a small hospital on that Island, there is no doubt whatever that such an institution would be of the greatest value, not only to the people of Praslin, but also to those of the neighbouring small islands. In cases requiring urgent operation, e. g. strangulated hernia many valuable hours are lost in conveying the patients to Mahe, it being quite impossible for the Assistant Medical Officer to operate on, and look after such cases in their own homes. Millions.— The Assistant Medical Officer, South Mahe, states that he had had an opportunity of seeing the fish known commonly as Millions and that this fish is identical with the fish known locally as the Gudgeon this is of considerable interest, I had understood that the two fish had many points of difference. The theory was put forward in Barbadoes some few years ago that it was the presence of great quantities of these Millions in the rivers which accounted for the non¬ existence of anophelines and malaria. There is no doubt however that the local Gudgeon do feed greedily on mosquito larvae, I have tried the experiment of put¬ ting a few of these fish into a kerosine tin of water in which there were many larvae, and with astonishing rapidity these have disappeared, furthermore during the year a cement pond was made in the Government House grounds to be used as a lily-pond, a few days after the water was put in it was found teeming with larvae, a few of the fish were introduced and the next morning no trace of larvae could be found, I think people who have foun¬ tains in their gardens might be encouraged to introduce these fish into them. An application was made during the year from the Health Department at Zanzibar for a supply of these fish, they were sent and arrived safely, but I have not heard if there has been any result.