Report on plague in the Gold Coast in 1908 / by W.J. Simpson.

  • William Simpson
Date:
1909
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on plague in the Gold Coast in 1908 / by W.J. Simpson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    “ the plains at least a mile away. The whole of them were inoculated with Haff- “ kine’s Prophylactic,and as therewasno satisfactory way of disinfecting the huts “ other than by fire they were burnt. The effect of the measures was soon “ evident, less than half a dozen cases occurred and the outbreak was at an end. “ To Dr. Eldred, Dr. Fish of the Basel Mission, and to Mr. Grimshaw, the “ Acting Provincial Commissioner, is due great credit for their services in con- “ nection with this epidemic, and Dr. Fish deserves special commendation not “ only for the part he took in stamping out the epidemic, but for the service which he was able to render by his knowledge of the language in persuading the “ acting chief, for the old one had died from plague, to prevent his people from “ fleeing to other villages at the time they were turned out of their own. I can “ testify that the people of this village acted nobly under a great calamity. “ Nianyano is built on a small hill and most of the houses are crowded “ together, the thatchings of the roofs encroaching very much on the central “ courtyard, leaving only a small opening to the sky. The result is that the huts “ are dark and badly ventilated and the rooms are devoid of fresh air. The “ outbreak was particularly violent in the worst houses, and at the time of its “ suppression had not invaded the few in the village built on more sanitary “ lines. The Director of Public Works has promised to have Nianyano surveyed, “ and I would recommend that before it is permitted to be rebuilt that good “ streets should be constructed, and that attention should be paid to securing “ more open space in the courtyards and between the houses and better lighting “ and ventilation of the rooms. The inhabitants are comfortable in their “ temporary shelters in the plain and I understand they do not intend to re- “ occupy Nianyano until after the rains. It would be a thousand pities if the “ opportunity were not taken of remodelling the village. “ The two companions of the man who died after leaving Nianyano pro- “ ceeded on their journey leaving their comrade behind and arriving at “ Anamabu shortly afterwards, took ill and died of pneumonic plague mixed “ with the bubonic variety. Dr. Webb saw one of them during life and “ certified him to be suffering from bubonic plague and pneumonia. Besides “ this importation of plague into Anamabu the infection had been already “ conveyed into that town a few days previously by canoemen from Accra who “ had brought a sick man as far as Winneba, where he had succumbed and “ was buried. Two of the canoemen soon after their arrival at Anamabu were “ attacked with plague and died, and the infection spread among the more “ immediate relatives, causing in all 12 deaths. Fortunately the existence of “ the disease at Anamabu was soon known and Dr. Lorena was sent there at “ an early stage and was successful in arresting the disease. Before his arrival, however, one of the villagers at Brewa had attended the funeral of one of the “ earlier cases at Anamabu and on his return to Brewa he soon sickened and “ died of fever, cough and spitting of blood, in fact with the same symptoms as “ the man whose funeral he had attended had suffered from. The infection “ thus introduced into Brewa spread rapidly in this man’s family, but the “ vigorous measures taken there by Dr. Lorena, Lieutenant Stokes and Mr. “ Grimshaw soon brought the outbreak under control, but not before 19 deaths “ had occurred. [242297] 2
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