3 6 FROM AN EASY CHAIR 



The Director-General of the Medical Department of 

 the Navy reports that there has been no case of Malta 

 fever during the year among the sailors, and only seven 

 cases among the soldiers up to the end of September, 

 1907. 



Gibraltar had a fever of its own, identical with Malta 

 fever. It has now been shown that it was probably 

 introduced by the importation of goats from Malta 

 for the supply of milk. This is likely, because the 

 importation of Maltese goats ceased in 1883, and the 

 fever began to disappear from Gibraltar in 1885, 

 and finally vanished altogether in 1905. 



In South Africa Malta-fever is common amongst the 

 white population. It is probable, according to Colonel 

 Birt, that it was introduced by means of infected 

 goats imported from the Mediterranean. The soldiers, 

 however, in South Africa are free from this disease, 

 excepting those who have already contracted it in the 

 Mediterranean, since in South Africa goats" milk does 

 not enter into the dietary of the soldier. It is the 

 civilian population which suffers. 



1 3. A Cure for Sleeping Sickness 



Diamonds and sleeping sickness are both special 

 African problems. It was owing to the proposal to 

 employ natives from Uganda in the South African 

 diamond mines that the Colonial Secretary (Mr. Cham- 

 berlain at that date) asked the Royal Society to say 

 whether the sleeping sickness which had broken out 

 with terrible violence in Central Africa constituted an 

 obstacle to that employment, on account of the danger 

 of introducing the disease into South Africa. The 

 Royal Society advised the Government not to allow the 

 transport of natives from the infected districts of Uganda, 

 and sent out a commission to Central Africa to study 



