MALARIA AND "SLEEPING SICKNESS"

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 299, 13 September 1919, Page 6

MALARIA AND "SLEEPING SICKNESS"

VIEWS OF A DOCTOR. * •By Telegrapli—Special Correspondent. Palmerston North, September 12. In the course of an indictment of the Health Department, .Dr. &■ Whitaker, at a meeting of the Hospital Board at l'almerston North, pointed out lhat since the war we had got in New Zealand something like three or four fresh types of malaria. ' This was the direct result of returned soldiers coming along from Africa, Egypt, and other places. Certainly, malaria fever was' bound to spread all over New Zealand. He could liot see how they could slop it. Only the other day ho had observed malaria knats, the breeding ground of which ho had traced lo a kerosene lin half-full of water standing'in a person's backyard.' "Recently ilierc had been Iwo deaths iii the district' from "sleeping' sickness." Local medical men, through the courtesy of the relatives of the deceased, were able to undertake two examinations of n private nature. As the result of these il was disclosed that. in one ease the condition of the brain was such as he. had never before met villi in nil the hundreds of post morlenis .lie had ; carried out. In the oilier case of "sleeping sickness" llin 'examination' disclosed "riuite different conditions. The braiii was in an entirely different state. Data gathered with regard to these two eases ol "sleeping sickness" opened up an entirely new range of affairs with public, health knowledge, so far as the district was concerned.. In the lighl of this, the Departmental explanation that the disease was a remote sequel of llio influenza 1 epidemic wns not very rens'suring. Tn this connection it was very interesting to note that investigation showed that there'was no .influenza in the lipuses of: tho deceased, and not by the furthest stretch of the imagination could the two cases bo connected with influenza. Jf they were going to have cases of 'shell j a mysterious disease as "sleepiiis sicl;I ne.=s" investigated by the Department in I such a manner, and for the board to apply for and not receive, a report of this investigation, it wes surely n most extraordinary slate of affairs.