The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-01-19
THEIR SLEEP
ENDS IN DEATH
Young Negro Population of
Africa Afflicted by a
Queer Disease

NEW YORK, Jan. 1S.-TraveIlers in
Africa have occasionally described q
curious disease affecting the young ne
gro population, the most characteristic
symptom of which was absolutely I'M
comfortable fits of sleepiness. These
hts were in sense a true coma, as
the sufferers could always be awak-
ened. but upon stopping the stimulus
talking and shaking-they immed-
lately "dozed off" again.
The disease was naturally named the
sleeping sickness. It was of infrequent
occurance and only attacked the ma
tives, and SO excited little curiosity
among patho4ogists.
But during the last few years it has
increased much in frequency and Sc
verify, and has caused such terri
bic mortality in the Congo basin that
both the Royal Society and the Lon
don School of Tropical Medicine have
sent out a commission of experts to
study it. Their reports have not yet
been published, although several Of
the commissioners have already re-
turned. But a commission sent by the
Portuguese government to study the
same disease, which was making seri-
GUS havoc among the negroes on
Princes island, in the Gulf of Guinea,
has printed a full account Of it's find
ings. and from this the following curl
GUS facts are obtained:
The most marked and early synp-
toms Of the disease are the fits of
sleepfness, although these may be pre-
coded or accompanied by a feeling Of
weakness, depression and diSinelina-
ton to exertion Of any sort. DR.. Pat
rick Manson, of mosquito malaria
fame, who has studied the disease in
the Congo, states that it is frequently
accompanied by insanity and fits of
maniacal excitement may be one of its
earliest manifestations. He also speaks
of a curious tightening or reddening Of
the hair as a premonttory symptom.
At first the sleepy fits are short and
infreQuent, but even in the early
stages are extremely sudden and quite
Irresistible, the patient falling asleep
with his mouth full of food or even
while drinking. In. this stage the suf-
ferer can be easily aroused, but i'm
me1iately falls asleep again. AS the
disease progresses the fits are more
frequent and sleep is deeper, but even
to the end it is. possible to arouse the
sleeper. One patient, upon being
awakened a few hours before his death,
smiled and accepted preferred cigar
cite. 1t is almost uniformly fatal. The
memory seems to be but slightly i'm
centration are markedly weakened al
most from the start. The senses, sight.
hearing and taste, remain active to the
last. a..aret.a -..s
In Princes Island the exciting causes
Of the disease appear to be excess
sine labor, poor food and bad SANTA
ton. All negroes of either sex are
liable to contract it, except those over
forty years of age.
A germ was, Of course, suspected
and diligently searched for. In the
vessels Of the brain and in the brain
tissue itself there was constantly
found a small double germ belonging
to the coccus family, about two ten
thousandths Of an inch In diameter.
breed this raicrobe, although slight
growth was obtained by placing them
in mixture of meat broth and the
fluid which occurs in cases of dropSy.
Guinea pigs and pigeons were unaf-
fected by inoculation of the eoceus,
but rabbits were somewhat sensitive
and it was fatal TO mice. -
The most marked and claraeteris-
tic tissue changes found after death
were in the brain. The cepfaaIo-rachi-
dan fluid, q small lamount--of which is
normally present in the Yentricles and
sub arachnoid spaces. was consider
ably increased In Quantity and slightly
nation of the membranes Of the brain
was a constant lesion, but varied much
/ in extent and severity
The conclusion reached by the Port
uguese commission was that the dis
ease is form Of Inflammation of the
brain and it's Membranes cephalo-
meinngitS-and that treatment will
be difficult, but may be possible"
According to DIR. w. B. Warrington,
of the Liverpool School, Of Tropical
Medicine, the stress of the disease falls
upon the Emphatic system, and espec-
tally that of the central nervous sys-
tenn. +-''--r
DR.. Castellani, of the Liverpool COM
in the Congo studying the disease, has
isolated a coccuS, which he thinks The
causative agent. The role of the flaria
perstaus in causing the disease has
already been disproved by the English
commission.
/ DIR. Low, leader of. the commission
Of the Royal society, who has recently
returned to England, found that the
disease had already extended over a
! large area, and computed that it had
killed between 10000 and 10000 people
during the last year or two. It's viru-
lence is also increasing. The length
Of the attack varies from one to six
months, and it is invariably fatal. He,
classes it with hydropllobia in hope
Iessness. 1t is distinctly contagious.
The depopulation caused by it's ravages
is making itself felt, ana unless some
way Of checking the disease is found
the outlook for many African provinces
is d gloomy one. ". J. Y.