SLEEPING SICKNESS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 81, 30 December 1907, Page 9

SLEEPING SICKNESS.

Professor Koch lias been interviewed by a special correspondent of the "Lokalanzeiger" on board the I'rinz R'egcnt en routo from East Africa'. The professor, who is in tho best of health, told the. interviewer that ho had been living for the past 18 months on a desolate island belonging to, the'Ses.se group, in the middle of Lako Victoria Nyanza. Sleeping sickness is particularly prevalent iii the Sesse Islands, tho inhabitants of which are gradually dying off through the ravages of the disease. Professor Koch regards sleeping sickness as an enormous danger to the whole of JSast Africa unless extensive measures, arc taken to combat it. Recently. the. disease has . been advancing from Lake: Tanganyika towards Tabora. Whenever- it- appears, practically tho entire native population fall victims. If the sufferers are left to tliomsclves they a'ro doomed. Tho professor discovered that, the inscct known.as the glossina palpalis, which conveys the germs of , the . disease (trvpanosoniae) breeds not only on tho banks of tho lakes, but also along, the streams in the interior right' up to 1 their source. The diseaso'can tberofore, be spread alo,ng tho whdlo longtli of- the rivers. It takes a long time to develop, and the patients often feel no offccts, although a miscroscopical examination' may liavo revealed the oxistenco of trypansoniae in tho blood. Tho principal otitcomo of Professor Koch's investigations is; says tho interviower, that there is a possibility now of making a certain diagnosis of'the. disease and-of adopting methods to combat it. Professor Kooh's remedy, consisting of subcutaneous injcct-ions of arsenic has proved efficacious; and tho chief means of fighting the disease lio in constant medical attendance," and in preventing patients from • going . into hitherto " unin-fected-districts; To carry this out, spcciallytraincd doctors -are necessary, and clearings must be mado on rivors and lakes free from mosquitoes. I It has been ascertained by Professor Koch, as a result of searching and most interesting investigations, .that thero is a distinct-conneo-tion betweon crocodiles and sleeping sickness. Wherever crocqdilos are found, the diseaso may bo discovered, but only in places'near the banks. _ The blood of erocodilcs forms the chief nourishment of the- glossina, which sucks tho blood between tho plates of tho animal's hide. Tho extermination of the glossina is impossible, but the same ond may be reached by destroying the crocodiles or by tho removal of .the bushes and undorgrowtii whero tho animals lurk.