548 SCIENCE IN AFRICA 



leprosy up till now. There are examples in various parts of the 

 world where the disease has been completely eradicated from 

 endemic centres by this means. In Africa legislation regarding 

 leprosy varies from territory to territory; compulsory isolation is 

 not universal. It is obvious that compulsory isolation may defeat 

 its own ends if it has the effect of making natives hide cases which 

 may be infectious. 



In South Africa there are five principal institutions for leprosy, 

 containing a total in 1937 of 2,270 persons, of whom 98 were 

 Europeans, 97 coloured, 6 Asiatic, and the rest natives. In addition 

 there were 4,176 certified cases remaining in their own homes 

 (Union of South Africa 1936-7, D.R.). Southern Rhodesia has 

 two Government leprosy hospitals at N'gomahuru and Mtoko, 

 and there is a leprosy section attached to the Mnene Medical Mis- 

 sion, which is subsidized by the Government. The patients live 

 a practically normal life on large estates, and it is encouraging 

 to note that more and more cases are seeking admission; the total 

 increased from 508 in 1929 to 1,315 in 1936. The work has been 

 furthered by grants from the British Empire Leprosy Relief Associ- 

 ation (Southern Rhodesia 1936, D.R.). 



In British East Africa numerous well-organized leper villages 

 exist, mostly under the direction of missions, and aiming at main- 

 taining the patients under conditions as natural as possible. In 

 addition, treatment centres are becoming established in many 

 areas, thus in Nyasaland there are twelve clinics all administered 

 by missions, and receiving grants from Government in proportion 

 to the number of cases treated. The Tanganyika Government 

 controls settlements at Dar-es-Salaam, Moshi, and Mkalama, and 

 treatment centres at the medical stations, together with numerous 

 settlements throughout the country. Assistance is given to mission 

 settlements, among which those of the Benedictine Mission at 

 Ndanda and Peramiho in the Southern Provinces are prominent. 

 The number of segregated cases in 1 936 was about 3,400 (Tan- 

 ganyika 1936, D.R.). 



In Uganda a survey was carried out in 1 930-1 to determine the 

 extent of the disease. The incidence was found to range from 

 0-05 per cent of the population in Entebbe district to 1-26 per 

 cent in Lango district, so leprosy in that country could hardly be 



