36 7 
graded off to the sides they had the best floor they could get. The 
walls should not come down right to the floor; there ought to be a 
space of two inches so as to get at the floor and so that no germs 
could collect round the walls. The keeping clean of this floor became 
an easy matter. The material for the rest of the house did not 
matter so much. Iron, of course, was best but wood was good if the 
boards were dressed and whitewashed at least three times a year with 
a disinfectant in the whitewash, inside undressed board or scantling 
would provide too much rough surface for the collection of dirt. 
With regard to ventilation Dr. Brooke recommended that if they 
secured two open doors and windows so as to admit air and sunlight, 
it was ample. Provided that the eaves were sufficiently large to keep 
the rain from beating in, then expanded metal should be used instead 
of shutters for all windows. 
The Coolies’ Surroundings. 
The actual surroundings of the coolies depended on local cir- 
cumstances. In the first place the jungle and undergrowth all around 
should be cut down sufficiently far away to allow of plenty of air and 
light reaching the barracks. The immediate surroundings should be 
properly level and drained and kept scrupulously clean. It was most 
important that rain water should not be allowed to collect. No re- 
fuse should be allowed to lie about because it was by means of it that 
the distribution of disease, through flies and mosquitoes, was helped 
on. The best method for the disposal of refuse was trenches three 
feet deep, the reason for this being that nitrifying bacteria exist in the 
upper three feet of soil, which are capable of quickly converting 
nitrogenous waste material into harmless compounds. The trenches 
should be closed when within a foot of the surface. These trenches 
should be screened, and fresh earth should be frequently applied. 
The three diseases most dangerous on estates were then dealt 
with— malaria, ankylostomiasis and beri-beri. Speaking of the first 
Dr. Brooke described the process of the generation of the parasite in 
the blood and the reproduction of the germ by mosquitoes. To have 
an outbreak of malaria there must be three factors — an infected 
person, a special variety of mosquito and a healthy person. The first 
point in the exclusion of the disease was to exclude coolies showing 
signs of malaria or to isolate and treat them till they are healthy. 
The malaria carrying mosquitoes were found in most parts of the 
Peninsula. They bred in stagnant water and they could be removed 
by filling up the places or temporarily dealt with by putting some 
kerosene oil on the surface. Another point was that they had a 
splendid specific in quinine. It was a distinct poison to the parasites 
in the blood and a small dose of 2 V 2 grains would kill a generation 
of these. 
Disease through The Skin. 
Until recently it was thought that the -only way of introducing 
ankylostomiasis was by way of the mouth, and mainly by eating green 
vegetables. But some time ago it was discovered that the larvae 
