100 



of the African elephant were not identical with those of the Indian ; 

 Brauer therefore reserves the name C. elephantis, Cobb., for the Indian 

 species and has named the African form C. elephantis africani sen 

 loxodontis, Brauer. Though warbled hides are only too numerous 

 in West Africa, the author never succeeded in obtaining 

 specimens of Hypodenna lineata and the identity of the species 

 concerned is not known. Neocuterebra squamosa, a species allied to 

 Hypoderma, described by Griinberg in 1906, attacks the foot of the 

 African elephant. 



The disease known as " larbish " or " oerbiss," linear myiasis, 

 creeping disease, myiase rampante, etc., is common in Senegal, but no 

 proof could be obtained of its insect origin and there appears to be 

 sound reason for believing that oerbiss and the so-called myiase 

 rampante are two distinct diseases. The history of the Guinea worm 

 and its development in Cyclops is fully dealt with, and infection by 

 direct transmission is considered an untenable hypothesis. It is 

 remarkable that, while Cyclops may be found everywhere, Guinea 

 worm is localised ; the relation of the worm to local and climatic 

 conditions is discussed. This book is an exhaustive treatise on the 

 subject. 



KuRAOKA (H.). Epidemiological Study of Plague in Formosa.— i^ar 



East. Assoc. Trop. Med., C. R. Trois. Congres Biennal {1913), 

 Saigon, 1914, pp. 204-212, 7 tables. 



In 1896, the year following the occupation of Formosa by Japan, 

 plague broke out for the first time in the island and has since continued 

 there, with a tendency to rage with great force every second or third 

 year. The prevalence of human plague stands in close relationship 

 with rat plague, and the number of human cases fluctuates in propor- 

 tion to that of rat cases. The proportion is greater in Formosa than 

 in either Osake or Kobe. This is probably due to the difference in 

 sanitary ideas and of the style of dwelhng houses. The principal 

 , species of rats responsible for the spread of plague are M. rattus, M. 



\ decumanus and M. muscidus, and Xenopsylla cheopis is the flea 



I particularly concerned. Though the carriage of plague from rat to 



man is largely effected by rat fleas, it is considered absurd to charge 

 them Avith the whole responsibihty ; there must be quite a number of 

 cases in which plague is contracted through wounds. The author 

 believes that at least one-third of human cases are caused by contact 

 with inorganic matter contaminated with the plague bacillus. 



HosTALRicH (— ). Un Foyer de Peste Bubonique en Annam. [A 

 Bubonic Plague Focus in Annam.] — -Far East. Assoc. Trop. Med., 

 C. R. Trois. Congres Biennal {1913), Saigon, 1914, pp. 244-255. 



The severe epidemic of bubonic plague which occurred, for the first 

 time, in the province of Binhthuan (Annam) from February to August 

 1908, caused more than 2,000 deaths among the natives. The viru- 

 lence of the epidemic was due to the highly insanitary conditions in 

 which the poorer natives five. The majority of those attacked were 

 women, who pass more time in the insanitary dwellings than the men. 

 Rats and mice swarm in the poorer native quarters ; those of the 



