THE SANITARY AWAKENING OF INDIA 193 



the Bacteriological Laboratory, Parel, with a view to solving 

 the problem of the disinfection of grain in bulk. There experi- 

 ments have proved encouraging under laboratory conditions, 

 but the Scientific Advisory Board consider it necessary to carry 

 out a practical experiment of disinfection of grain on a larger 

 scale, and for this purpose a sum of Rs. 1,000 has been sanc- 

 tioned from the Research Fund. The experiment is being 

 carried out by Major Glen Liston, and we await his report. 



Relapsing Fever. — Most people are under the impression that 

 this disease has practically died out in India, but Government 

 has known for some time that small outbreaks occur frequently 

 in certain districts in the United Provinces. They are not 

 serious, and there are reasons for believing that the disease is 

 endemic in the villages of the Jumna Kadir, where it is usually 

 unrecognised and treated as malaria. In the spring of last year 

 the death-rate was noticed to be rising in the Meerut district, 

 and it was presumed at first to be due to plague. The compara- 

 tively low mortality, however, aroused suspicion, and the 

 examination of blood films revealed typical Spirochaetse, whilst 

 subsequent investigation showed that some seventy villages 

 were infected with relapsing fever. At the request of the local 

 Government, the governing body of the Research Fund have 

 deputed Captain Brown from the Central Research Institute, 

 Kasauli, to proceed to the United Provinces to investigate the 

 causes of the recent outbreak. He will also endeavour to con- 

 firm the recent observations of Nicolle as to the exact mechanism 

 of transmission by the body-louse, which, as Captain Mackie 

 was the first to demonstrate, is known to be the carrier of the 

 disease. 



Cholera. — Major Greig, I. M.S., working at Calcutta and Puri, 

 has during the year carried out a most important series of 

 observations. He has shown that we can no longer regard 

 cholera merely as a water-borne disease. The cholera vibrio 

 will live for a long time in the gall bladder, and it is certain that 

 not only cholera convalescents but also healthy persons who 

 have been in contact with cholera cases can act as " carriers." 

 Major Greig also incriminates flies. His researches will be 

 continued for another year, and we trust that his discoveries 

 will prove of much value to the committee which, under 

 the presidentship of the Sanitary Commissioner with the 

 Government of India, is now inquiring into the possibility 

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