Distribution of Tropical Diseases in Africa. 429 
suffer so much as men from malarial fever, this is prob- 
ably due to their not being so much exposed to its influence. 
Taking, however, all things into consideration, I have come 
to the conclusion that neither sex is more capable than the 
other of withstanding the climate. With regard to children, 
it may be said that the same condition obtains in Africa as 
in India. Apart from accidental diseases, children will do 
well for the first three or four years of life, but under exist- 
ing circumstances they must then be sent to a temperate 
climate if they are to survive. Were they to remain in 
Tropical Africa, they would certainly degenerate mentally, 
morally, and physically. 
I have now come to the end of my extremely rapid survey 
of the general facts which obtain in Africa with relation to 
the subject of my paper, and I now proceed to describe, 
solely from the point of view of health and disease, the 
various regions into which Africa may be divided, and to 
indicate the special tropical diseases which obtain in 
them. When, then, the area of the distribution of the 
diseases of Africa has been geographically defined, I shall pro- 
ceed to briefly examine each tropical disease, the conditions 
under which it arises, and its prevention and treatment, 
sertatim. 
For my present purpose I can divide the continent of 
Africa into eight distinct divisions, namely,— 
I. Northern Africa, including Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, 
and Tripoli. 
II. North-eastern Africa, including Egypt and Abyssinia. 
III. Eastern Africa, including the Islands of Zanzibar and 
Pemba. 
IV. West Coast of Africa. 
V. North Central Africa, comprising the Sahara and the 
Soudan. 
VI. South Central Africa, extending to about 18° S. 
latitude. 
VII. South Africa. 
VIII The Islands of Madagascar, Mauritius, and The 
Seychelles. | 
