Annual report on the Medical Research Institute / 1909-.

  • Nigeria. Medical Research Institute.
Date:
[1913]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on the Medical Research Institute / 1909-. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    6/22 (page 2)
    Asylum was examined for the presence of larvae of Loa loa, with a view to continuing the work on the develop¬ ment of that parasite, but although a considerable number were found to be infected, lack of biting flies, different from those with which he had already worked, prevented his taking advantage of them. An opportunity occurred of making a post-mortem examination on one patient, and calcified Filariae were found in the testicle and lung. 9. “An attempt was made to infect Stomoxys calcitrans and S. nigra, which were easily obtained from the neighbouring villages, and Hippobosca, caught on cattle, with the filaria of a clog, but the result was negative. 10. “In February, Dr. Leiper went to Kano, in Northern Nigeria, and the Acting Director accompanied him. The object of this visit was to examine the ostriches, which are kept there, by the Education Department. It is proposed to have ostrich-farms on a large scale in the Colony, and it is thus of great importance that the birds should be free from any disease, which would tend to increase, when they are herded together in large numbers. The ostriches then in captivity were found to be free from intestinal parasites. South African farms suffer heavy losses annually owing to this cause, but seem to ignore it, for they not long since imported a considerable number of birds from Northern Nigeria, with the object of improving the breed by the introduction of fresh blood. These birds might be free, when imported, from parasites, but they are certain to become infected when mixed with the other birds on the farms. 11. “Other animals were similarly examined. Practically all the horses were found to harbour parasites of some kind, but not in such numbers as to affect their health. No opportunity occurred of making a post-mortem examination on any horse, and it was thus impossible to ascertain the actual parasites present. “ Cattle, sheep, and goats were examined daily at the slaughter place. The goats were singularly free from infection, but the cattle and sheep had considerable num¬ bers. Apparently this does little harm, for the animals were in excellent condition and the meat was of excellent quality. 12. “House-flies are a veritable plague in Kano, due probably to the universal presence of horses in the compounds and to the practical impossibility of dealing effectively with their droppings. Biting flies were represented only by Hippobosca maculata, but these were in great numbers. 13. “ Lokoja was the next place visited, and there many cases of Onchocerca volvulus were found amongst the prisoners. Much interesting and important work was done to find the fly which transmits this disease, but as Dr. Leiper has reported elsewhere on the experiments,, no more need be said about them here. “ It may be remarked, however, that the complete absence of some flies and the great scarcity of others was a continual handicap throughout the trip and nowhere was it more marked than in Lokoja.