Some Preventuble Diseases of British Guiana. 147 
case is one of Bilious Remittent Fever, Malignant Malarial Fever, or Yellow 
Fever ; but if there be a reasonable suspicion of its being the latter, the precau- 
tions in the way of isolating the patient, fumigation, ete., should be at once taken 
in hand. 
No medical man cares to take the responsibility of declaring a first case, on 
account of the opprobium he is sure to incur ; but it is infinitely preferable to take 
early precautions than to run therisk of being s the means of allowing an epidemic 
to run riot. 
Until the specific germ of this disease has been discovered beyond doubt, 
there will always be endless disputes as to the identity of mild cases. 
Filariasis :—Most people are well acquainted with the various phenomena 
of this disease, as it occurs in this colony. 
Unlike Malarial and Yellow Fever, however, it is capable of being transmitted 
by several different kinds of mosquitos. Surely another additional reason why 
one should do every possible thing one can to exterminate mosquitos from 
human habitations and _ their surr oundings. What has always been said before 
with regard to the keeping of towns and villages free from Anophelines and 
Stegomyias, applies equally with regard to Filarias's. 
Diseases CONVEYED By Dirty AND Unsanirary Hapsits. 
Under this heading I will only deal with two very prevalent diseases in this 
colony—Ankylostomiasis and Tuberculosis. Ankylostomiasis :—It is with a 
sigh of relief that one can speak of the preventive measures whic h are being 
carried out in this colony with regard to this disease. And yet one’s feeling of 
relief is abruptly brought to an ‘end because although we may pride ourselves 
on what is being done on estates with regard to the prevention of this disease, 
it is a very different matter so far as the numerous villages in the colony are 
concerned. J suppose every one is familiar with the system of latrines in use 
on the majority of the estates in the colony. But there is hardly a village 
im British Guiana which possesses proper methods for the disposal of fecal 
matter. 
As it has been dealt with on the Estates, so can it be as effectually dealt with 
in our villages. Almost all these villages have trenches opening into main 
drains over which a few latrines could be erected and at a not over ruinous 
cost. Thisis a matter which ought to be taken in hand by every Village Authority 
in the Colony, either out of the rates, by means of loans, or by out-and-out 
grants-in-aid. The Government, I am sure, is willing to help to their utmost— 
judging at any rate from the manner in which they take pride unto themselves 
on account of what has already been accomplished on the sugar estates. It 
must, however, never be lost sight of, that these same sugar estates are always 
open to infection from the labourers of their neighbouring villages, and until 
these latter are taken in hand, a good deal of their efforts will be more or less 
wasted. 
Tuberculosis :—The town of Georgetown at least may congratulate itself 
that it is rising to the occasion, since it has opened a Tuberculosis Dispensary. 
