1 6 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



minimum. Luckily, although there have been a good 

 many cases in all, fatal or even serious attacks have 

 been few and far between. It is generally held, and 

 there is little reason to doubt, that typhoid in this 

 country is of a far less virulent type than its prototype 

 in Europe. 



Dysentery is, of course, fairly prevalent throughout 

 the Protectorate. The climate, however, can hardly 

 be held responsible for this fact, but rather the care- 

 less method in which a considerable proportion of the 

 population live. It is generally accepted that dysentery 

 is nearly always contracted through the drinking of 

 infected water. If, therefore, no water be drunk 

 unless it has been boiled for at least ten minutes the 

 chance of an attack of dysentery is reduced to a 

 minimum. In theory, this sounds a simple and easily 

 carried out preventative. As a matter of fact, those 

 who know what it is to walk or hunt all day under a 

 tropical sun and to be suddenly confronted with a deep, 

 clear pool of water know that it is almost impossible to 

 resist its invitation. Such deep, clear, stagnant pools 

 are very often full of germs. Again, although the 

 cook to your " safari " may have been told not once 

 but many times that all drinking water for the camp 

 must be boiled, one may rest assured that it is the 

 exception rather than the rule for such instructions to 

 be carried out. Filtering gives water more attraction 

 to the eye, but is of no great avail for the stomach. 

 There is a possible chance, therefore, that, while 

 shooting or prospecting, an attack of dysentery may 

 be acquired. This should never be the case on a 

 farm, since there the settler can and should make 

 certain of his water supply by sending a sample to be 

 analysed. For dysentery many drugs have their 



