﻿138 
  

  

  RICHARD 
  ROPER 
  — 
  ACCOUNT 
  OF 
  

  

  lines 
  have 
  been 
  taken. 
  The 
  species 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  houses 
  have 
  in 
  

   many 
  cases 
  been 
  bred 
  also 
  from 
  larvae 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  swamp. 
  As 
  can 
  be 
  understood, 
  

   there 
  was 
  much 
  malaria 
  among 
  the 
  coolies 
  on 
  the 
  estate 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  prophylactic 
  

   quinine 
  being 
  taken, 
  their 
  spleen 
  rate 
  being 
  21/4 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  For 
  an 
  area 
  of 
  about 
  ten 
  miles 
  around 
  Membakut 
  six 
  villages 
  or 
  collections 
  of 
  

   houses 
  were 
  visited 
  with 
  a 
  view 
  to 
  ascertaining 
  the 
  spleen 
  rate 
  of 
  the 
  children. 
  The 
  

   ordinary 
  native 
  hut 
  is 
  generally 
  of 
  bamboo 
  on 
  piles 
  3 
  to 
  6 
  feet 
  high 
  and 
  is 
  dotted 
  

   anywhere 
  in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  land 
  likely 
  to 
  serve 
  as 
  paddy 
  land, 
  without 
  regard 
  

   to 
  proximity 
  of 
  swamp 
  or 
  jungle. 
  Among 
  this 
  particular 
  group 
  of 
  villages 
  there 
  

   was 
  one 
  larger 
  than 
  the 
  rest, 
  known 
  as 
  Kampong 
  Brunei, 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  

   of 
  the 
  Membakut 
  river, 
  and 
  here 
  in 
  39 
  children 
  the 
  spleen 
  rate 
  was 
  found 
  to 
  be 
  58*9 
  

   per 
  cent. 
  In 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  Borneo 
  all 
  the 
  larger 
  villages 
  have 
  been 
  built 
  on 
  the 
  rivers 
  

   and 
  the 
  natives 
  get 
  their 
  living 
  by 
  fishing 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  amount 
  of 
  rice-growing, 
  the 
  

   latter 
  almost 
  entirely 
  for 
  their 
  own 
  consumption. 
  The 
  other 
  five 
  villages 
  were 
  

   practically 
  situated 
  in 
  the 
  large 
  swamp 
  already 
  mentioned 
  and 
  consisted 
  of 
  groups 
  

   of 
  houses 
  rather 
  widely 
  separated. 
  Sago 
  palm 
  grows 
  everywhere 
  in 
  the 
  neighbour- 
  

   hood 
  and 
  also 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  smaller 
  fruit 
  trees 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  coconut 
  trees. 
  Including 
  

   Kampong 
  Brunei, 
  I 
  was 
  able 
  to 
  examine 
  92 
  children 
  and 
  the 
  spleen 
  rate 
  of 
  this 
  num- 
  

   ber 
  worked 
  out 
  at 
  54*3 
  per 
  cent. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  table 
  shows 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  village 
  and 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  children 
  

   examined 
  in 
  each, 
  with 
  the 
  spleen 
  rate 
  : 
  

  

  Village. 
  

  

  No. 
  of 
  children 
  

   examined. 
  

  

  Spleen 
  rate. 
  

  

  Membakut, 
  with 
  surrounding 
  villages 
  

  

  Bangawan 
  

  

  Kimanis 
  

  

  Papar 
  (Mill 
  Hill 
  Mission) 
  

  

  92 
  

   69 
  

   52 
  

   37 
  

  

  54-3 
  

   1-42 
  

   11-53 
  

   13-5 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  rule, 
  in 
  a 
  village 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  banks 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  rivers 
  the 
  health 
  of 
  

   the 
  natives 
  as 
  regards 
  malaria 
  is 
  good, 
  as 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  Kimanis 
  and 
  

   Bangawan 
  villages. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  Kampong 
  Brunei 
  the 
  high 
  spleen 
  rate 
  seems 
  

   to 
  be 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  proximity 
  of 
  this 
  extensive 
  swamp, 
  which 
  is 
  only 
  about 
  

   one 
  mile 
  distant. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  examination 
  of 
  these 
  children 
  one 
  was 
  naturally 
  led 
  to 
  examine 
  them 
  

   for 
  evidence 
  of 
  other 
  diseases 
  than 
  malaria, 
  but 
  except 
  for 
  one 
  child 
  with 
  tubercular 
  

   dactylitis 
  and 
  cold 
  abscesses 
  over 
  the 
  tibia, 
  none 
  was 
  found. 
  I 
  was 
  informed 
  by 
  

   the 
  natives 
  that 
  the 
  death 
  rate 
  among 
  the 
  children 
  was 
  not 
  high, 
  and 
  the 
  birth 
  rate, 
  

   so 
  far 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  possible 
  to 
  judge 
  from 
  a 
  visit 
  to 
  the 
  villages, 
  did 
  not 
  appear 
  low. 
  

   The 
  ages 
  of 
  these 
  children 
  ranged 
  from 
  6 
  months 
  to 
  14 
  years. 
  

  

  Six 
  miles 
  in 
  a 
  northerly 
  direction 
  from 
  Membakut 
  and 
  about 
  one 
  mile 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  

   railway 
  the 
  country 
  is 
  entirely 
  different 
  and 
  consists 
  of 
  good 
  high 
  land. 
  Here, 
  situated 
  

   on 
  the 
  Bangawan 
  River, 
  is 
  Bangawan 
  Village, 
  and 
  the 
  spleen 
  rate 
  of 
  the 
  69 
  children 
  

   examined 
  was 
  only 
  1*42 
  per 
  cent. 
  Bubber 
  Estate 
  (B) 
  is 
  situated 
  about 
  two 
  miles 
  

  

  