October 2, 1903.] 



SCIENCE. 



431 



mixed and tubercular. Little care is taken 

 in the isolation of these cases, as they mix 

 freely with their fellows in the ordinary 

 routine of life. In one or two instances 

 pilots who desired to take our ship into 

 harbors were found to have leprosy in 

 more or less advanced stages. 



2. The much better physical types pre- 

 sented by the pure blacks or whites in con- 

 trast with those of mixed blood. This was 

 true especially of the pure blacks, probably 

 from the reason that they have intermar- 

 ried less than pure whites. Arranging the 

 natives in order from the standpoint of 

 their immunity to disease, we would place 

 the pure blacks iirst, the pure whites sec- 

 ond and mixed types last. 



3. The direct relation of health to food. 

 The islands where most farming was done 

 presented a better tjT)e of people than those 

 relying chiefly on fishing and sea industry 

 for support. 



4. The great prevalence of locomotor 

 ataxia, rheumatism, neuralgia, aiuhum or 

 ring-toe, genito-urinary diseases, including 

 syphilis, gonorrhoea, etc., eye diseases, in- 

 cludihg pinguicula, pteiygium, ophthalmia, 

 gonorrhcpa, etc., interstitial keratitis, 

 cataracts and errors in refraction, muscle 

 balance, etc., dyspepsias and some diarrhoea 

 due to poor food and exposure. 



5. The presence of the filarial sanguinis 

 in the blood of one of the patients examined 

 in the Nassau hospital. This case is said 

 to have come from Long Island. 



6. One case of elephantiasis in the leg 

 of a woman living at Current Settlement, 

 Eleuthera. 



7. The type of malaria. It showed the 

 malignant variety of parasites in the blood, 

 but was of a mild type and not tj'pical in 

 its behavior. This alone would make an 

 interesting scientific investigation. 



8. Distribution of mosquitoes. The 

 mosquitoes have been studied at all the dif- 



ferent places visited with the result that 

 several known varieties and unknown 

 species, at least to our collector, have been 

 found, and the places where obtained care- 

 fully noted. This collection has been 

 purchased by Dr. L. 0. Howard and will 

 be worked up by him. 



9. Host interesting studies were made of 

 the inhabitants of Hope Town, Abaco, in 

 order to determine the amount of degen- 

 eracy due to close intermarrying. At the 

 close of the Revolutionary "War this settle- 

 ment was peopled by tories from America 

 who desired to continue under British rule. 

 For over a hundred years the inhabitants 

 of Hope Town have intermarried so closely 

 that now a man is related to his wife by 

 more than one line of relationship. Charts 

 constructed by Dr. Penrose established this 

 point. The result has been that frightful 

 degeneracy has taken place, resulting in 

 many disorders and serious bodily defor- 

 mations. 



In all over a thousand people were seen 

 professional!}-, and although many of these 

 were not given medicines, nevertheless a 

 number, possibly one half, received treat- 

 ment, medical or surgical and advice re- 

 garding living, food, general hygiene. The 

 cleanliness of the people as a whole and 

 their good health in spite of poor food much 

 impressed us, due unquestionablj' to the 

 balmy climate of the Bahamas and the 

 fact that the settlements are not yet over- 

 crowded. 



Special examinations for conditions in- 

 teresting to the expedition were made in 

 one hundred and fifteen cases and records 

 kept of each one. Forty-three blood ex- 

 aminations wei'e made, some of these at 

 night. Owing to the short stops at the 

 different settlements it was impossible to 

 follow the efl'ect of treatment in many of 

 the cases that came to us for assistance. 



