P. Manson-Bahr and N. H. Fairley 
d7 
V. CONCERNING INVESTIGATIONS OF THE SWEET-WATER CANAL TO 
WHICH INFECTION AMONGST AUSTRALIAN AND IMPERIAL TROOPS 
WAS TRACED, AND THE CONCLUSIONS BASED UPON THEM. 
The following incidents form a very remarkable and practical corroboration 
of Leiper’s work. 
In October and November, 1916, several cases of billiarziasis were admitted 
to No. 14 Australian General Hospital. In these, examination not only revealed 
lateral spined ova in the faeces, but also terminal spined ova in the urine. 
It was therefore suggested as possible that most of thecases from Tel-el-Kebir in 
Lawton’s series, to which reference will be made later, were mixed infestations. 
As no Bullinus had been found, when inspection following this outbreak was 
made, we re-investigated the Rifle Range Canal at Tel-el-Kebir, and succeeded 
in demonstrating Bullinus infested with Schistosomum haematobium, as well as 
Planorbis infested with Schistosomum mansoni. 
In addition it was found that the fellaheen in the adjacent fields were pass¬ 
ing many lateral spined ova in their faeces, terminal spined ova were found 
in the urine of two out of three cases examined. With the cercariae from in¬ 
fested Planorbis gathered at Tel-el-Kebir, we succeeded in infesting monkeys, 
and thus proved conclusively the infectivity of the canals in this area. 
A careful analysis of the histories of patients admitted to Hospital suffering 
from bilharziasis, soon led to the conviction that other areas than Tel-el-Kebir 
were responsible for infestations amongst Australian Light Horse. Pools at 
Serapeum and Abou Soueir were suggested as sources of infestation. Further, 
the cases from Serapeum were all simple infestations with Schistosomum haema¬ 
tobium, while those from Abou Soueir were infested with both species. It was 
possible to predict therefore, on the basis of Leiper’s works, the presence in 
an y particulai area of Bullinus or Planorbis , or of both. In every case sub¬ 
sequent investigations proved the truth of this prediction. 
Table VI. 
Type of infestation 
Infective bath¬ 
Total 
- ✓s. _ 
Schist. 
-\ 
Canal zone 
Troops 
Number 
Schist. 
haema¬ 
Double 
ing areas 
affected 
of cases 
mansoni 
tobium 
infestations 
Zag-a-zig 
Australian 
to 
■ Tel-el-Kebir 
Light 
49 
G 
10 
33 
Ismaila 
Zag-a-zig 
Horse 
to 
■ Abou Soueir 
G 
4 
9 
Ismailia 
Kantara ' 
9 9 
T 
to 
Serapeum 
y y 
14 
14 
Suez J 
Upper | 
Egypt [ 
Deirut 
99 
11 
• • • 
11 
Upper | 
Egypt j 
F ayoum 
Imperial 
Mounted 
G 
G 
Yeomanry 
Species of snail found 
in pool and locality 
/-- A - 
Planorbis Bullinus 
present present 
present present 
absent present 
absent present 
absent present 
Note. The actual pool at Beirut in Upper Egypt was not investigated, but reference to the 
literature shows that snails of the Bullinus species are found there, but not those of Planorbis 
McLallan (1915) was able to show a 25 % infection with S. haematobium in the country district 
around Deirut. 
