H.—3l

(3) Hydatid Committee. —Laboratory, field, and publicity work has been carried out. Testing of arecoline efficiency has been steadily proceeding, experimental infections of mice have been continuing, and in vitro studies of effects of drugs on cestodes have commenced. The experiment at Styx in hydatid control was continued by the Agriculture Department, and further reports from the Kerwell Experimental Farm received. (4) Committee of Clinical Medicine :■ — " Pressor Effects of Amidine Derivatives " (Fastier). Published in Nature, Vol. 154, 429, 1944. " Casual and Basal Blood Pressures : Their Relationships to Supplemental Pressure, with a Note on Statistical Implications " (Smirk). Published in British Heart Journal, Vol. VI, No. 4, October, 1934. Publications in press— " Effect of the Initial Level of the Blood Pressure upon the Response of the Human Subject to Blood-pressure-raising Reflexes " (Bruce, Martin, Smirk). Journal of Physiology. " Some Properties of Amarin " (Fastier and Smirk). Journal of Physiology. " Renal Function in Essential Hypertension" (McGeorge). Quarterly Journal of Medicine. In the hands of the editors— " Circulatory Properties of Amidine Derivatives" (Fastier, Smirk, Crawford, and Strang). (5) Committee of Neurophysiology and Neuropathology :— " Sciatica Research in Dunedin Hospital " (Falconer). " Research in Physiology Department" (Eccles). Much work has been done in the design and construction of apparatus for the accurate investigation of patients with sciatica. Mr. Chapman, the technician, was employed on neurophysiological research. This research is in course of publication. (6) Tuberculosis Committee.—The Committee continued with its work of typing tubercle bacilli from various human lesions. UNRRA The Director-General of Health was appointed a member of the Technical Subcommittee on Health for the Far East and attended meetings of the Subcommittee in Sydney. The Department of Health has been responsible for the arrangements for the medical examination of personnel applying for service with UNRRA. STAFF It is with regret that I record the death of Mr. A. J. Hooper while on active service overseas. Divisional Directors and Medical Officers of Health complain of increasing difficulty in carrying out their duties owing to the rapid expansion of departmental activities and the shortage of staff. It is clear that the Department can no longer handle efficiently the many matters with which it has been entrusted and that, indeed, the position is critical and reaching the stage when a breakdown will occur unless much-needed relief is given by the appointment of more medical and senior clerical officers. In conclusion, I desire to express my thanks to the members of the staff for their loyal support during the past year. M. H. Watt, Director-General of Health.

APPENDIX I.—REPORT ON TUBERCULOSIS CONTROL IN NEW ZEALAND By C. A. Tayloe, M.R.C.P. (London), F.R.A.C.S., Director, Division of Tuberculosis It should be appreciated that tuberculosis is a disease due to a specific bacterial infection and that it is broadly classified into two main forms : — (1) The pulmonary or respiratory form. (2) The non-pulmonary form. The pulmonary type is almost always due to infection by the human type of the tubercle organism which is disseminated from human " carriers "of this organism. The majority of the non-pulmonary types —namely, those affecting the central nervous system—is also due to the human type of infection, but most of the non-pulmonary cases affected with glandular, bone, or joint lesions are due to the bovine type of organism disseminated from, cattle. A few individual cases of respiratory and nervous system forms of tuberculosis due to the bovine type of organism have been discovered in this country in recent years, but it is still believed that bovine infection is responsible for a very small proportion of cases. Research into this question is still being undertaken, but the number of cases to date is so few that work for three to four years will be necessary to prove that the incidence of bovine infection in New Zealand is as stated above. It is felt that the human type of infection produces the great majority of cases, and, as a result> prevention and treatment measures have been largely directed to control this type of infection.

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