Dr. Daniel's report to the secretary of the Malaria Investigation Committee of the Royal Society, London, on the results of investigations made by him in Calcutta in conjunction with Major Ross, I.M.S.

  • Daniels, C. W. (Charles Wilberforce), 1862-1927.
Date:
[1899]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. Daniel's report to the secretary of the Malaria Investigation Committee of the Royal Society, London, on the results of investigations made by him in Calcutta in conjunction with Major Ross, I.M.S. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Dr. Daniel’s report to the Secretary of the Malaria Investigation Committee of the Royal Society, London, on the results of observations made by him in Calcutta in conjunction with Major Ross, I.M.S. Calcutta: January 2jrdy i8gg. Sir, I have the honour to report the results of my observations since my arrival here on December 21st, 1898, 2. Major Ross, first demonstrated and explained to me his method of dissection of the mosquito and the structures normally met with. From prepared specimens he then showed me the bodies met with after feeding these mosquitoes on birds infected with the proteosoma and the change day by day which they showed, ending with a demonstration of the germinal threads in cysts in the stomach wall, as seen in the fluids of the body, and in cells in the salivary gland. 3. On my arrival there were in the laboratory in test tubes series of mos¬ quitoes fed on birds infected with Proteosoma on the night of November 30th, December 10th, December 12th, December 15th, and December 20th. Of each of these series Major Ross dissected specimens for me after killing the mosquitoes with chloroform, and again demonstrated in these the same bodies that he had already shown me in prepared specimens. Pointing out and demonstrating as he went on that in the older mosquitoes it was possible on cutting the thorax the nature of the contents both of the coccidia in the stomach and of those of the cells of the salivary glands. The points showed to me I readily observed. 4. From series of mosquitoes before mentioned I day by day examined both those which died and ethers I killed, and wras as readily able myself to repeat the observations and in the earlier series to trace the changes in the size and nature of contents of the coccidia. I also examined a large number of mosquitoes caught about the laboratory and others which had been raised from larvae. In no case did I find either coccidia in the stomach wall, germinal threads in the body fluids, or in the cells in the salivary gland ; nor did I find “ black spores ” in them. 5. Major Ross informed me that his published results were based on observa¬ tions made in the hot season when the temperature was 8o°F., or more ; and that now I should find the changes considerably slower as it was the cool season, but that the sequence of events was the same. My observations on the mosquitoes fed on December 20th, and December 15th, showed that this was the case and that the coccidia advanced more slowly than the published results indicated. He also informed me that mosquitoes fed less readily and more difficulty was met with in rearing them to a spore bearing age. These difficulties the use of the incubator was only partially successfu. in obviating. 6. On the evening of January 1st, following exactly in Major Ross’ lines, I commenced a repetition of his main experiment. Two mosquito nets, free from rents, w^ere taken, and in them were released a large number of grey mosquitoes reared from larvae. In the one, four birds were placed; in three of them on December 31st, I had found proteosoma in large numbers and in the fourth a moderate number. In the other net two birds, in whose blood no proteosoma had been found, were placed ; these two died, two and three weeks later, and no pigment was found in their organs and repeated examinations of their blood had failed to show proteosoma.