HEALTH AND MEDICINE — GENERAL 465 



represented. The principal subjects discussed were yellow fever, 

 plague, smallpox, leprosy, rural hygiene, dengue, and the trans- 

 mission of diseases by aircraft. On nearly all these subjects, not- 

 ably in the cases of yellow fever, plague and aircraft transmission 

 of diseases, new developments, calling for action by public health 

 authorities and having international importance, were deemed 

 to need attention in the near future. A Pan- African Conference was 

 held at Johannesburg in November 1935, being attended by repre- 

 sentatives of the French Colonies and the Belgian Congo in addi- 

 tion to those mentioned above. Further discussions took place on 

 hygiene and medical services in rural areas, the provision of 

 medical services for natives, the training of native medical sub- 

 ordinate personnel, protective measures against the introduction 

 of yellow fever, preventive measures against plague, typhus and 

 other diseases, and research in animal diseases. Reports of these 

 conferences were published by the League of Nations (1933b and 



1936). 



The International Health Division of the Rockefeller Foundation has 

 been connected with Africa chiefly through its work on yellow 

 fever. Many of the advances in knowledge of this disease have 

 come from the Commission of experts which established a labora- 

 tory at Yaba near Lagos in 1925, and worked there until 1933, 

 after which the laboratory was taken over and extended by the 

 research branch of the Nigerian medical department. 



Of importance in connection with port health work in the Union 

 of South Africa and all territories with ports on the east coast is the 

 Epidemic Intelligence Bureau at Singapore. This bureau was estab- 

 lished after a conference at Singapore in 1925 representing govern- 

 ments and sanitary organizations in the Far East, held under the 

 auspices of the League of Nations. The Rockefeller Foundation 

 contributed approximately ^^5,000 a year for a period of five years 

 for the purpose. The bureau receives telegraphic reports regard- 

 ing epidemic diseases from all countries in the eastern area includ- 

 ing the east coast of Africa and the Union, and it transmits by 

 telegraph or wireless from Saigon a weekly summary in code to 

 all countries concerned. 



The International Missionary Council, situated in London, is com- 

 posed of representatives of a large number of Protestant missionary 



Q 



