﻿29.— 
  SURRA 
  AND 
  BITING 
  FLIES 
  : 
  A 
  REVIEW. 
  

  

  (Plate 
  XL). 
  

   By 
  T. 
  Bainbrigge 
  Fletcher, 
  R.N., 
  F.L.S., 
  F.E.S., 
  F.Z.S. 
  and 
  R. 
  

  

  Senior- 
  White, 
  F.E.S. 
  

   The 
  serious 
  losses 
  to 
  army 
  transport 
  animals 
  during 
  the 
  recent 
  War 
  

   led 
  to 
  the 
  appointment 
  by 
  the 
  Grovernment 
  of 
  India 
  of 
  a 
  special 
  Surra 
  

   Committee, 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  whose 
  work 
  the 
  late 
  Imperial 
  Patho- 
  

   logical 
  Entomologist 
  received 
  orders 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  the 
  following 
  investi- 
  

   gations 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  (a) 
  The 
  continuation 
  of 
  research 
  on 
  fly 
  repellents. 
  

   (6) 
  The 
  preparation 
  of 
  maps 
  of 
  the 
  areas 
  affected 
  by 
  Surra, 
  

   (c) 
  The 
  carrying 
  out 
  of 
  a 
  fly 
  survey. 
  

   {d) 
  The 
  study 
  of 
  Tabanid 
  life-histories. 
  

  

  (e) 
  The 
  preparation 
  of 
  a 
  review 
  of 
  the 
  correlation 
  between 
  rainfall 
  

   and 
  Surra 
  in 
  1919. 
  

   In 
  endeavouring 
  to 
  discover 
  what 
  had 
  been 
  actually 
  done 
  to 
  carry 
  

   out 
  these 
  lines 
  of 
  work, 
  we 
  have 
  had 
  to 
  put 
  into 
  order 
  a 
  mass 
  of 
  scattered 
  

   papers 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  prepare 
  a 
  report 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  position 
  of 
  affairs 
  

   for 
  the 
  Surra 
  Committee, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  so 
  doing 
  we 
  have 
  been 
  

   led 
  to 
  go 
  over 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  of 
  literature 
  dealing 
  with 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  

   Surra 
  in 
  India 
  and 
  its 
  connection 
  with 
  Biting 
  Flies 
  and 
  have 
  thought 
  

   that 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  this 
  Meeting 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  resume 
  of 
  what 
  is 
  

   actually 
  known 
  and 
  what 
  has 
  actually 
  been 
  done 
  on 
  this 
  subject, 
  which 
  

   is 
  an 
  important 
  one, 
  in 
  Northern 
  India 
  especially. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  under- 
  

   stood 
  that 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  claim 
  to 
  say 
  anything 
  new 
  on 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  Surra 
  

   nor 
  to 
  do 
  more 
  than 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  brief 
  review 
  of 
  the 
  literature 
  on 
  this 
  subject 
  

   so 
  far 
  as 
  India 
  is 
  concerned. 
  On 
  points 
  demanding 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   protozoology 
  we 
  have 
  had 
  the 
  kind 
  assistance 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Pringle 
  Jameson 
  

   whose 
  help 
  in 
  this 
  subject 
  we 
  would 
  gratefully 
  acknowledge. 
  

  

  Surra, 
  literally 
  meaning 
  " 
  rotten," 
  is 
  a 
  protozoan 
  remittent 
  fever, 
  

   accompanied 
  by 
  emaciation, 
  anaemia 
  and 
  debility, 
  and 
  characterized 
  

   by 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  Trypanosomes 
  in 
  the 
  blood 
  during 
  an 
  attack 
  of 
  fever. 
  

   The 
  causative 
  Trypanosome 
  is 
  Trypanosoma 
  evansi, 
  which 
  was 
  dis- 
  

   covered 
  at 
  Dera 
  Ismail 
  Khan 
  in 
  1880 
  by 
  Griffith 
  Evans, 
  who 
  first 
  demons- 
  

   trated 
  the 
  Trypanosomes 
  in 
  the 
  peripheral 
  circulation 
  of 
  affected 
  camels. 
  

   Besides 
  camels, 
  it 
  occurs 
  naturally 
  in 
  cattle, 
  buffalos, 
  mules, 
  horses, 
  

   rats, 
  jackals 
  and 
  dogs, 
  and 
  under 
  laboratory 
  conditions 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  

   capable 
  of 
  infecting 
  guinea-pigs, 
  rabbits, 
  mice, 
  goats 
  and 
  monkeys. 
  

  

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  222 
  ) 
  

  

  