72 



marked that the author tried to find out if there were any other gas 

 that would kill mosquitos as certainly and at the same time be less 

 likely to inflict on general cargo the damage caused by SO^. 

 A further disadvantage of the use of SOo is the risk of bleaching 

 coloured cloths by the conversion of part of the sulphur dioxide into 

 sulphuric acid, but the experiments that demonstrated this, also 

 showed that this risk is a negligible one, when the manner in which 

 cloths are generally packed for import into India is taken into account. 

 There is also considerable risk of fire, owing to the use of flake charcoal 

 as an insulating packing for refrigerator plant and three cases have 

 occurred in Bombay from this cause. 



The other processes are described and their advantages and dis- 

 advantages discussed. Halle's modification of the Marot apparatus 

 allows of complete control over the strength of gas (SOo) used, 

 3 per cent, for rats and 8 per cent, for bugs, but the cost is the 

 chief objection. The Giemsa apparatus produces a mixture of 

 carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (COo) by passing air over 

 burning coke ; this is regarded as dangerous, as the gases are odourless 

 and non-irritating and fatal accidents have occurred. The gases kill 

 rats, but not insects and the kilhng of plague rats, while at the same 

 time their infected fleas are released, multiplies the danger of infection 

 for those handhng cargo, etc. ; these gases have no general disinfecting 

 quahties and the original cost of the plant is high. The Harker process 

 is similar in principle ; waste gases of the ship's furnaces being employed, 

 the dangers and defects are the same as with the Giemsa process. 

 The Kubner apparatus is based on the application of formaldehyde 

 vapour to goods enclosed in a partial vacuum so as to secure penetration. 

 The temperature is a verv' important factor ; at 70° C. (160° F.) moist 

 heat, as good results can be obtained as with the vacuum ; at 10° C. 

 (50° F.) the efiect is very small. This may be effected either by boiling 

 a 5-10 per cent, solution of formaldehyde in water over a lamp in a 

 closed chamber containing the articles, or by floating in water in a 

 bath a vessel containing 40 per cent, formaldehyde, 1 lb. for every 

 1,000 cubic feet ; | lb. of potassium permanganate is then rapidly 

 added ; the re-action is violent and dense fumes of formaldehyde are 

 given off. Steam is then admitted until a temperature of 70° C. 

 (160° F.) is reached and maintained for 4 hours, very little steam 

 being required. 



Drake-Brockman (R. E.). Reports on an Outbreak of Relapsing 

 Fever among the Camel Constabulary in Somaliland. [Received 

 from the Colonial Office 4th February 1915.] 



In these reports it is stated that on the return of a company of 

 Camel Constabulary from Hargeisa to Galoleh, no less than 13 per 

 cent, of the men were sick with relapsing fever, so far unknown to 

 exist in British SomaHland except at the coast town of Bulbar, where 

 an epidemic occurred a few years ago, which the author thought was 

 due to infection from East Africa. It is at present not feasible to say 

 whether the disease has spread inland from Bulbar to Hargeisa or 

 vice versa. In the latter case, it must have come across Africa. The 

 transmitting host, Ornithodorus savigtiyi, has been found at Burao, 



