10
leakage at Kathivakkam opposite the glass factory where the water is quite stagnant. Seeing
that a large amount of traffic is carried on in this canal, that it is periodically flushed out by
the ebb and flow from the sea through several bars and that it is also cleaned periodically it is
not difficult to believe that it is unsuitable for the breeding of Anopheles larvæ. The pools which
contained. Anopheles larvæ had no connection whatever with the canal. Nevertheless it may
be noted that when we inspected Vayalur salt factory we found that all the coolies who come
from distant villages over a radius of 3 miles had no splenic enlargement, nor did. they give a
history of fever, while the few coolies who come from the villages on the canal invariably had
enlarged spleens. It is, therefore, possible that the canal, in spite of our not finding larvæ,
still bears some relation towards fever. That such may be the case is evident when we consider
certain factors in the spread of malarial fever in these villages—
(a)Many- of the inhabitants are constantly on the move and are liable to spread
infection and to become infected.
(b)There is constant carrying about of mosquitoes from one place to another by the
boats on the canal.
(c)There are large casuarina plantations in the neighbourhood of these villages, which
afford efficient breeding places for mosquitoes.
(d)There is the possibility that malaria was first introduced into these parts about two ,
decades ago when hundreds of coolies from Cuddapah and other malarious parts of the Presi-
dency were employed in the construction of the railway line and Ennore bridge.
PREVENTIVE MEASURES.
As the malarial fever is of a very malignant nature extending over a large area, the
measures necessary to stamp it out must be very drastic consequently costly and elaborate if
they are to be effective. Hence the advice of the Provincial or Imperial Governments should
be taken before measures are adopted or decided upon. We would however suggest a few H
measures which in our opinion would be of advantage
(1) All the villages on the Buckingham Canal in the district should be divided into
several groups about four in number. Each group should be in charge of a Sanitary Inspector
assisted by one maistry and 6 peons. The business -of these men should be to oil or if
possible fill up all the pools in their firka periodically. The necessary registers, estimates and
other details for carrying out the work efficiently should be gone through in separate reports.
(2) Quinine sulphate as a prophilactic should be freely distributed among the people and
all the salt employees should be dosed with the drug regularly two or three times a week
Those with malaria should be segregated.
(3) The casuarina plantations, which appear now to be of little value, should be purchased
by Government and all the trees cut down, the pits at the same time being filled up.
No. IV.
INSECT FLAGELLATES.
By the SUPERINTENDENT.
It is now well known that many insects harbour in their alimentary tracts flagellate
organisms of two distinct genera Herpetomonas and Crithidia. The earliest known of these
flagellates is H erpetomonas muscœ domesticœ commonly found in the house fly in many parts of
the world. This parasite was first named Bodo muscœ domesticœ by Burnett and others, Kent
however placed it in his new genus Herpetomonas including with it the flagellate found by Lewis
in the blood of rats in India. Later when these flagellates came to be studied more carefully
it was shown by Laveran and Mesnil that the Herpetomonas of the house fly differed markedly
from the Herpetomonas of the blood of Indian rats and that the latter was a true Trypanosome and
was therefore placed in the genus Trypanosoma of Gruby. The name Herpetomonas was retained
for the parasite of the house fly and it is now the type species of the genus. Since the discovery
of these facts a large number of flagellates have been found both in blood-sucking and non-blood
sucking Arthropods and two important papers have been published one by Ross in 1898 and the
other by the late Dr. Schaudinn in 1904. Ross found a large number of flagellate organisms
mosquitoes of the genus Culex not only in the adult insect but in the larva and pupa, a fact which
clearly indicated their nature. Unfortunately this paper was entirely lost sight of by subse
quent observers and as a result there is at present considerable confusion regarding the a
histories of these parasites.
In 1904 Schaudinn published his remarkable memoir on the evolution of T r y p a n o s o m a
noctuœ in Culex pipiens. Although at first this work was generally accepted it soon became