WAVES OF ILLNESS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20709, 6 May 1929, Page 14

WAVES OF ILLNESS.

DANGERS OF INFLUENZA. Sir Houald Ross, dircctor-in-clnef of ■ the . Ross Institute and Hospital at Putney, London, the eminent .'authority on tropical diseases, ■ discussing recently the decision of the British Museum trustees to accept his historic collection of scientific manuscripts and - correspondence (recently purchased by Lady Houston and offered by her to the museum), revealed that he is now working on and extending a Mathematical Theory : of Happenings which demonstrates mathematically the incidence of Influenza and other epidemic diseases (reports the Sunday Times). “ We may be able,” said Sir Ronald, “ without waiting to learn just what influenza, is, to discover a method of preventing it, just as we prevent yellow fever only by knowing how it is carried. My own theory has always been that influenza and colds generally are carried by sneezing.” ,■ Sir Ronald, discussing his Theory of Happenings, .said:' “A ‘ happening’ is an event that'happens to a proportion of the public while* the nature of the public itself is changing by death rate and birth rate, by emigration and immigration. You have to estimate what will be the number of people affected in a population at the end of 'a given time. “ The dates of waves of illness may be anticipated. I invented this method some years ago. It is, to give it the right name, a hypothetical method of studying epidemics, and it will assist the work of prevention in such an epidemic as influenza. I am now extending the theory, with the assistance' of Dr Hilda P. Hudson, “We do not yet know what influenza is, but Drs David and Robert Thompson have published in the Lancet the. results of important investigations. They have studied one particular typo of bacillus, which consists of hundreds of species.” The decision of the British Museum Trustees to accept the Ross collection lias been mainly due to the plea of the Ross Institute that the archives of their director might be housed at Putney. “ So far from objecting,” Sir Ronald said, “I think it is a great honour that my archives should go to the Museum. Mr Gilson, Keeper of 'Manuscripts, has written to me asking that they may be sent for inspection and acceptance. They will be always accessible to students there, and I am proud that they should bo a national possession,” Sir Ronald has a special automatic stamp which is being used to number all the documents in sequence. He has also added explanatory notes to many of the manuscripts, and to some of the' letters from famous scientists concerning the researches which led to his great discovery of the cause of malaria. _ the Nizam of Hyderabad’s recent gift of £IOOO to the Ross Institute was a direct consequence, Sir Ronald stated, of the anti-malaria mission of his assistant, Sir Malcolm Watson, and Major Stevens, the secretary of the institute, who are at present advising the Native Governments of India on the prevention of malaria. There are most cheering si {|, ns 'of an awakening in India to the immense importance of subduing malaria,” he said. The yearly toll of lives claimed by malaria is more than that of the \\ orld War. During the last 30 years neglect to ta.ke the right measures on the part of the British Government in India lias cost many millions of lives, iho local authorities, however, are now beginmng to do excellent work. Some of the Indian workers are very capable men. They are of a much finer type than the old, rather fat, and lazv Jmbu. The schemes being laid down o! fighting malaria follow in general the lines on which Malcolm Watson practically cleared British Malaya of malana. , • now that Sir Malcolm W atsou shall visit Kcnva Colohv on his way back from India, to iuvestigate the malaria problem there. During Ins last visit to Kenya the Prince of Wales interested himself in the subject, and he reminded the local authorities that as patron of the Ross Institute he hoped that they would be enabled to make use of the knowledge at their disposal, and so remove the chief obstacle to the progress of Kenya.”