194 NON-BACTERIAL DISEASES 



the margins ; the monkeys were prevented from removing the gauze by tying their 

 legs. After two hours the gauze and flies were removed. Of these monkeys, one 

 Semnop. priaimis after 45 days developed a small infiltrated spot, which soon became 

 enlarged and covered with a thick crust. The microscopical examination of the 

 lesion showed the presence of Sp. perteimis. The other four monkeys gave negative 

 results. 



*^ Experiment IV. Twenty-eight flies [Miisca domestica and similar species) were 

 caught in one of the rooms of the Bacteriological Institute. The legs and buccal 

 organs of five were removed and examined for spirocha'tes, numerous preparations 

 being made, with negative results. The remaining flies, deprived of their wings, 

 were placed on two slightly ulcerated lesions of a yaws' patient. The flies were ke]it 

 on the ulcers by means of pieces of gauze, the margins of which were made to adhere 

 to the skin with a little collodion. The flies readily sucked the secretion of the ulcers. 

 After one hour the flies were removed. Meanwhile seven Semnopitheais priamus had 

 been deeply scarified over their eyebrows, and several flies which had fed on the 

 ulcerated yaws' lesions were placed on the scarified areas of each monkey and kept in 

 place there for two hours by using the device already described. 



" One of the monkeys, 46 days later, developed a slightly infiltrated spot, which 

 slowly enlarged into a framboetic nodule covered with a thick crust ; the microscopical 

 examination of films taken from this nodule showed the presence of Sp. pertenuis. 

 In another monkey, 67 days after inoculation, three tiny papules developed at the 

 l^lace of inoculation ; they soon fused together into an infiltrated mass covered by a 

 thick crust. Films made from scrapings of the lesion contained the Sp. ptrtcnnis. 

 The remaining five monkeys have given negative results.'" 



Robertson (1908) asked patients in a yaws' house in Tarawa 

 Hospital to catch the flies settling on yaws' lesions, and to place 

 them in sterile glass jars which were given to them. Later the 

 jars were filled with sterile water and well shaken. After 

 standing for 24 liours the water was centrifugalized and smears 

 made from the precipitate. About 200 flies were used, and in 

 four slides " well-formed examples of SpirocJuetc pertenuis of 

 Castellani " were found. 



Nicholls (191 2) working in St Lucia, Windward Islands, 

 made the following statement : " I believe that the majorit}' of 

 cases of }'aws (frambcesia) in the West Indies are caused b}' the 

 inoculation of surface injuries by this fly {Oscinis pallipes). 

 They feed only on the skin discharges of man and other animals, 

 and though rare in the town of Castries, they are ver\' numerous 

 in the countr)' districts of St Lucia, and can be seen hovering 

 round the bare legs and arms of labourers, searching for 

 abrasions or the secretions of the sweat and sebaceous glands. 

 The persistence of these little flies is extraordinarx' ; the)' must 

 be brushed off b\' actually touching them, and the\' will 



