November r, 1888.J THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
a suitable nidus for propagation. Why the effects, 
should be more severe on clearing the jungle is 
explained by the direct action of the sun's heat in 
rapidly drying up the soil and thereby accelerating 
the growth of the germ. 
Next iu order comes dyscntry, which appears 
slightly later than the former, and is usually asso- 
ciated with it, often coming on in its course. It is 
believed that whenever dysentery is prevalent in a 
malarious district, the contaminating medium is 
drinking water. The disease is amenable to treat- 
ment if taken early ; whereas, if allowed to go un- 
heeded, it is apt, if it does not prove fatal, to have 
the patient a wreck as regards future usefulness to 
the estate. 
Beri-beri in the paralytic form closely follows : 
and it is particularly apt to be a sequel of the two 
preceding, but it does occur independently. Oases, 
for the most part, are seen after the second mouth ; 
but this is no rule, for the fully-developed disease 
it) sometimes named dry beri-beri, which is not 
strictly correct; inasmuch as, although a few cases 
are found whore dropsy is said to have never 
existed, the great majority have had dropsy more 
or less, preceding or co-existing with the other 
symptoms. The mortality is high, more especially 
among the early cases occurring in an epidemic, 
while the course is rapid ; and death usually ensues 
from cardiac complications. Where the course is 
slower, and the patient is in a position of receiving 
good food and nursing, the fatality is very much 
less, but, as a rule, three or four or more months 
are required to effect a cure. 
In British North Borneo this disease may be 
looked upon as essentially a juugle one ; the infecting 
medium being the soil and water. The idea that a 
residence in a place of six to ten months is re- 
quired in order to eoutract the disease, is erroneous : 
as in one locality five out of 30 coolies shewed symp- 
toms after a residence of three months. It is far more 
prevalent in tho Kast Coast than iu the West, where, 
hitherto only a few isolated cases have been met with. 
Another disease sometimes met with on our estates 
ii what has been called aiuemia or Wot Beri-beri. 
Tho term beri-beri, by the way, is used by the 
laity to signify any case of dropsy. Nothing could 
be more misleading, for dropsy is a frequent Bymp- 
tinn of tropical disease generally. 
Anaraia is the prominent symptom and is very 
Striking, as it -gives rise to extreme pallor of the 
mucous inemhrant s, for example the lips, tongue, 
etc. U.h progress is steady; and its treatment very 
IWSatisfaOjory. Intercurrent attacks of dropsy super- 
vene, due to the hydremic state of the blood. Tho 
labourer becomes a frequent inmate of the estate 
hospital for the treatment of this dropsy which 
soon disappears, he is discharged aud goes back to 
work. In a short time — it may be iu less than a 
month — dropsy re-appeirs and he is re-admitted to 
BMpital, This may go on for a considerable time, 
during which tho strength gradually fails and death 
follows from exhaustion, very ofton preceded by 
convulsions and cooira, or by an intractable diar- 
rheal or dysentery. 
The dUease occurs in those places whore the 
dietary is lound to be defective ; moro particularly 
in the Insufliciotit daily quantity of protoids and a 
correspondingly large quantity of Carho hydrates 
and fats. The staple diet from year to year having 
been nee ami salt-fish wit li a lit lie poi k twice a month. 
This toriu of anaemia has been looked upon as a 
form of pernicious amenda ; and it very much re- 
si ml lis in course, duration and symptoms what Dr. 
Kynney p. o. M. o., Colombo, has railed in the medical 
report of lt*M»>, tho annomia and beri-beri of Ceylon, 
aud what Dr. Lutl has described as aneliylostoiniasis 
INO iU being associated us cause and effect with a 
prautode, auobyloatoma duodouale, found in imall 
intoatiua*. It appears therefore that this so-called 
beri-beri is essentially distiuct from the other form : 
and Doing so should not receive tho name. 
With reference to the management of these ca-.es, 
the indication* at tho outset nboiild be, as far as 
practicable, to avoid exposure to the virus by the 
choice of a suitable locality, (h) by strict attention 
to drink water ; and to prevent action of predis- 
posing causes (a) by a proper selection of labourers, 
(h) by providing efficient protection from exposure, 
etc. The locality should be slightly elevated ; the 
soil should bo porous, and capable of easy drainage ; 
aud, if an old clearing (Dusun) be near the same 
is preferable to living in a viryin jungle. Great 
care should be given to the water supply for drinking 
purposes. Superficial well-water is always suspicious 
iu the jungle and should be avoided, or it should be 
boiled aud filtered. River water may at times he 
good and usable, at other times, owing to its be- 
coming contaminated with organic vegetable matter 
during heavy rains, it is impure and should also be 
boiled and filtered. The ordinary drip-stone is 
largely used here, and answers very well. In not a 
few instances has drinking wator been traced to be 
cause of outbreaks of tisver, dysentery and beri-beri. 
As the predisposing causes act by lowering the 
vital force of the individual, and thereby rendering 
him more liable to disease they should be removed. 
The coolies selected should be such as are less likely 
to fall sick. For instance, an attempt should be 
made to obtain the first labourers for felling aud 
clearing from this country or from South Borneo, 
so that after the work has been so far advanced, 
the imported labourers may be brought on the 
estate, which by this time 1ms lost a good deal of 
its former insalubrity. Again, substantial protection 
from exposure should be provided from the first. 
The floors should be raised from the ground some 
5 to 7 feet and covered iu all sides. The floors 
should be closed, especially where the cooly sleeps. 
The night clothing should also be attended to, and 
any attempt on the part of the coolies at selling or 
disposing of their blankets and other articles of 
comfort should be put down. — British Xorth Borneo 
Herald. 
♦ 
THE INDUSTRIES OF CEYLON. 
(Summary of Paper read by Geokoe Wall, Esq., at 
the meeting of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal 
Asiatic Society, October 5, 1388.) 
Mr. Wall dwelt first, in the spirit of modern 
political economy, on " the conditions necessary to 
industrial progress," and showed how first the des- 
potic rule, of the native kings and then the 
conduct of the Portuguese and Dutch, had ren- 
dered the free interchange of products and tho 
accumulation of wealth by the Sinhalese impossible. 
Hence there was no surplusage to export, As illus- 
trations of the absorption or waste of wealth, he ad- 
duced the enormous cost of the great wall of China 
and of modern armaments. Knox was quoted to show 
that under the nativo rule it was dangerous for a man 
to have the reputation of being wealthy, as the King 
could claim everything. Mehomet Ali's polioy in 
modern Egypt and the pyramids in ancient Egypt 
were referred to, as well as tho ruins of Yucatan 
and tho remains of Nineveh whilo the irrigation 
works of Ceylon were used as illustrations of the 
writer's proposition, that great natural resources 
might not mean surplusage of wealth well employed. 
Tho wealth of Egypt derived from the overflowing of 
the Nile was also effectively used, aud the wonderful 
progross of Britain and North America under adverso 
conditions adverted to. The conditions were shown 
under which even religions and educational in- 
stitutions might bo perverted so as to hinder instead 
of helping progress. In Coylon the very persons of 
the poople and their labour were regarded as the pro- 
perty of the kings. Absenoo of capital and usurious 
interost exacted for seed advances were adduced as 
causes which hindered industrial progress. When 
the British took possession and up to tho time when 
Sir Emerson Tennent wrotn in 1810, there was no 
nativo capitalist in Ceylon. Thot want of capital as 
the causo ofc^lffenatinn was shown by the wonderful 
