Obituary. 355 



This long series of papers on blood-parasites shows that a great deal 

 of the work was devoted to combating sleeping-sickness. Plimmer was 

 the first to use antimony compounds as a means of killing the parasite, 

 after he had tried numerous arsenical preparations and had found them 

 to be uncertain in their action and frequently producing serious after- 

 effects. This was not noticeable in the case of antimony salts, but 

 occasionally the use of antimony, like arsenic, produced parasites immune 

 to the drugs. It was remarkable to see the effects of doses of sodium 

 or lithium-antimonyl tartrate upon the infected rats. The moribund 

 rat became lively a few minutes after the injection of the drug ; after 

 several doses its coat and general condition could not have been more 

 healthy. The appearance of the blood was also most striking ; before 

 the injection parasites swarmed ; five minutes later only a few parasites 

 were seen ; fifteen minutes later no parasites were visible. There was 

 no doubt that the treatment removed the parasites from the blood and 

 the rats were cured. Parasites, however, wander into the cerebro-spinaSi 

 fluid, and these are not killed by the drug. Some of these enter the 

 blood after the antimony has been excreted, and they can be killed 

 by a second dose. A third dose will kill another invasion from the 

 cerebro- spinal fluid. The antimony-salt is only a real cure in those 

 cases in which the cerebro-spinal fluid is not infected. In these cases 

 it was found that injections of finely-divided metallic antimony into 

 the muscular tissue produced a cure. The best results were ultimately 

 obtained by injecting a suspension of metallic antimony directly into 

 the blood-stream. Horses, goats, rats, and other animals have been 

 cured of the disease. There is a private record of the successful treat- 

 ment of a few human patients suffering from sleeping-sickness. They 

 were living many years after the injection of antimony, and some had 

 been treated unsuccessfully with arsenic. The curative treatment of 

 sleeping-sickness with antimony was carried out on a large scale in 

 Africa by his late colleagues. Major W. B. Fry, R.A.M.O., and Major 

 H. S. Rankeu, V.C, R.A.M.C. Major Fry has also published the 

 results of the successful treatment of yaws with antimony, Plimmer 

 and Fry had previously treated cases of syphilis with this drug with 

 most excellent results. It is a pity that there was no opportunity for 

 further studying the cure of syphilis with antimony. This work of 

 Plimmer and Fry seems to have escaped the notice of other workers. 



Plimmer's other papers consist mainly of yearly reports on the deaths 

 in the Zoological Gardens. For four years, 1908-1911, an examination 

 of the blood of the animals was made for parasites, and in 1911 he 

 made a report on the examination of 500 rats caught in the Zoological 

 Gardens. A quarantine house was instituted at his suggestion and the 

 animals in it were under his charge, as well as many other important 

 items in connexion with the health and care of the animals. 



Plimmer was an extraordinarily fine musician. In addition to an 

 immense knowledge of music, gained by his own study and by attending 

 musical festivals, he was a wonderful pianist. At the time lie left 

 school in 1870 he had no other inclination than towards music, and at 

 that period had taught himself notes and could play fairly well for his 

 age. He used to sit with the organist at the church in Melksham 



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