238 F. W. DRY. 



seeing, was stated probably not to have the disease. Six other adults who had lived 

 there from a few weeks to two years were healthy. A number of children, too, some 

 of whom had lived there all .their lives, and might be as old as ten, were all free from 

 the disease ; they do not go into the forest nearly as often as grown-up people. 



These facts, therefore, do indicate coincidence of distribution of the disease and 

 Simulium. 



One piece of tribal history that I learnt from both the Lumbwa and Kisii throws 

 light on the way in which Simulium is regarded by these two peoples. Formerly 

 the country badly infested with Simtiliiim, which is now in the Lumbwa Reserve, was 

 occupied in its western part by the Kisii, the eastern part being left uninhabited out 

 of mutual fear, for in those days the relations between the two tribes were by no means 

 peaceful. Some time before the area came under British influence, possibly, though 

 such information given by natives must be considered of doubtful accuracy, about 

 thirty years prior to the present day, the Lumbwa succeeded in driving out the 

 Ki^ii from the infested country, where they proceeded to settle, and established 

 themselves, too, on the left bank of the Kipsoni and Sondo, but these Lumbwa were 

 moved back across the river by the British Government. 



I had a lengthy conversation with some of the Kisii, now old men, but warriors 

 at the time of the war, who had formerly lived in the infested country. They told 

 me that they knew the fly and the disease and believed the one to be the cause of the 

 other. The Kisii had not hesitated to live in that country on account of the disease. 

 Only a few of their people, they said, had had the disease. The land, they said, and 

 the Lumbwa had told me the same, was excellent for crops and the grazing good. 

 Wishing to know how seriously they regarded the disease, I asked them if they would 

 go back to the Simulium country if they could. They replied, " Certainly," and asked 

 if I had been sent to arrange for their return. 



After that war the Lumbwa settled in the conquered country in considerable 

 numbers, but very soon found they were getting the disease, when the great majority 

 left the district. A few of the Lumbwa living in infested country and having the 

 disease were amongst the original settlers and a few more have settled there more 

 recently, but the total number of inhabitants, in an area of perhaps 20,000 acres, is 

 small in the extreme. 



I obtained blood-slides from three Lumbwa men who had lived in the infested 

 country ever since it had become Lumbwa territory, and said they had had the disease 

 for about thirty years. These shdes Dr. Clearkin, Acting Senior Bacteriologist, 

 afterwards kindly examined, finding about 20 per cent, of eosinophilia in the blood 

 from each of the three individuals. 



Dr. Clearkin hopes to find an opportunity of visiting the Lumbwa country to 

 investigate the disease. The District Commissioner has tried to persuade some of the 

 Lumbwa having the disease to come to Nairobi in order to be examined, but they 

 have declined to leave their Reserve. 



