P. H. Bahr 
141 
(2) The fastigia of temperature and of rainfall generally coincide ; 
the curve of malaria incidence commences to rise after the fastigium 
of climatic influences and reaches its maximum in three or four months. 
(3) There are generally two rises in the malaria incidence during 
the year; of which the one occurring during August, September, and 
October is generally the highest. 
Mortality from malaria. 
The average annual death-rate from malaria is about 109 per annum, 
or T3 %, but in 1911 it rose to 175 per annum, or 2‘1 %. Not only has 
malaria been directly responsible for this large number of deaths, but 
it has also been the source of serious inefficiency and direct loss to the 
Government in other ways. From the statistics Gunasekara compiled 
it appears that normally considerably over 22 % of the Government 
officers in Kurunegala are annually incapacitated from service on account 
of fever. 
Anti-malarial measures so far adopted in Kurunegala. 
The anti-malarial measures instituted under the guidance of Dr 
Gunasekara have been designed to improve the general sanitation of 
the town arid to prepare the masses for a still more extensive campaign. 
These have consisted in, (a) education of the public in malarial pro¬ 
phylaxis by means of lectures, ( b ) general sanitary measures, (c) daily 
quinine distribution, (d) mosquito reduction by gangs of coolies clearing 
drains, filling in hollows, etc., (e) screening hospital wards, Government 
bungalows, etc. 
Though all these measures have been conscientiously carried out 
for the last one and a half years, it was realised that the amount of 
malaria had not been apparently reduced. For political and economic 
reasons no steps had been taken to abolish the paddy fields in the centre 
of the town as it had been deemed advisable to observe the part these 
fields played in the spread of the malaria. 
At the request of the Hon. the Colonial Secretary of Ceylon, I spent a 
week in February and March, 1913,in Kurunegala studying this question; 
the main results of this enquiry are embodied in the present report. 
435 blood slides were taken and microscopically examined. I wish 
to express my indebtedness to Sir Patrick Manson for the interest he 
has taken in the progress of the work, and for his invaluable assistance 
in the tedious task of examining the blood slides. 
