President's Address. 9 



of scientific research in South Africa." That medal is to 

 be presented to Dr. Theiler at this meeting of the Association : 

 and it is one of the principal sources of my regret that my public 

 duties prevent me from presiding, that I shall not be able myself to 

 present the medal to Dr. Theiler, and to express to him personally 

 and publicly, on behalf of this Association, our high appreciation of 

 the services which he has been able to render to South Africa and 

 to science, and my own full and heartfelt concurrence in the decision 

 of the Council to select him as the recipient of the highest honour 

 which the Association has it in its power to bestow. 



The value, even of the results hitherto obtained (and they are 

 few in comparison with the results which it is yet hoped to obtain), 

 is really beyond estimate. That the high importance of scientific 

 enquiry is now generally recognised in South Africa is demonstrated, 

 not only by the confidence which is now shown throughout the coun- 

 try in the men who have obtained the results to which I have referred, 

 but by the establishment and flourishing growth in South Africa of 

 our own Association for the Advancement of Science, which includes 

 in its ranks not only men who have made some branch of science 

 their life-study, but many who, like myself, cannot pretend to the 

 possession of accurate scientific knowledge, but are deeply impressed 

 with the value, to this community, of the promotion of scientific 

 enquirv and research. 



In the absence of reliable agricultural and pastoral statistics, 

 no accurate arithmetical estimate of the value of the results which 

 have so far been attained can be framed ; but an interesting object- 

 lesson, supported by figures, in what scientific research can do in the 

 matter of extinguishing parasitic disease Cand most of the stock- 

 diseases in South Africa are parasitic), is afforded bv the history of 

 the disease which is known as Malta fever. As Malta fever is not 

 confined to Malta, but occurs in most parts of the world, including 

 South Africa (most of the known cases in South Africa have occur- 

 red in the neighbourhood of Philippolis, in the Orange River Colony, 

 but there have been cases in parts of the Cape Colony too), the 

 subject will be of interest to you. It is not, properly speaking, a 

 stock disease, but affects human beings. It Avill not be of less inte- 

 rest to you on that account. It is a severe and dangerous disease, is 

 accompanied bv a great deal of pain, and is of long duration. The 

 average stay of a patient in hospital is about 120 days: and some- 

 times the disease goes on for two or three years. It is often accom- 

 panied bv rheumatism and neuritis, and recovery is slow. For the 

 last 25 years or so, imtil 1907, the admission of soldiers and sailors 

 into the Maltese military hospitals for Malta fever averaged about 

 624 a year, about 4 per cent, of the total strength. This meant 

 about 75,000 davs of illness per annum. The disease was also common 

 amongst the civilian population, but as there are no statistics available, 

 I leave the civilian population out of the calculation. The doctors 



