T. Bentham 
the latter group had their quarters in a large circular underground stone 
building which was clean and well ventilated. Two men lived at home, and a 
few others were posted to small outlying forts close to the main buildings. 
Every week-end a certain number of these men were granted leave to go to 
their homes. Flies were very prevalent in the summer, especially in and about 
the outlying smaller forts, but chlorinated water was in general use for 
drinking purposes. 
Table V. 
Maltese Garrison Troops (1 and 2 K.O.M.R.M., R.M.A., A.S.C. ( M.T .), 
and R.F.C.). * 
Total No. examined 200. 
Infected with: 
No. 
Entamoeba histolytica ... 
• • • 
55 
Free Amoebae (not determined) 
30 
Other Protozoa ... 
102 
Taenia saginata ... 
• • • 
3 
Trichuris trichiura 
• • • 
13 
Ascaris lumbricoides 
2 
27-5 
15 
51 
1-5 
6-5 
1 
The sergeants and corporals (eight men) had quarters separate from the 
rest of the garrison. Their ages ranged from 46 to 27J with an average of 38, 
and they were older men than the rest of the garrison. All were negative_ 
none of these men being infected with E. histolytica as far as the result of one 
examination was concerned. 
Of the remainder (66 men, average age 27), 23 were infected with E. 
histolytica , giving the remarkable percentage of 34-8 on one examination only. 
Of these men seven had been associated in military life for the previous three 
y ears at a fort on the other side of the island. 16 out of the 66 men were free 
from parasites of any kind, the remaining 50 having parasites, other than 
E. histolytica , in the following numbers: Chilomastix 19, Lamblia 11, E. coli 
cysts 20, free amoebae 9, Trichomonas 2, E. nana cysts 4, Isospora hominis 1, 
Helminths 5, Acarina (Tyroglyphus) 3. It is therefore not improbable that, 
if a sufficient number of examinations could have been made, lasting over 
comparatively long periods of time, nearly 100 per cent, of this garrison would 
have been found to be infected with E. histolytica. 
Several of these men were afterwards admitted to hospital with acute 
symptoms, and the R.A.M.C. orderly who was stationed at the Fort at the 
time when the examinations were made, told me that, on going his round of 
inspection, he often observed blood and mucus in latrines. Apparently, in the 
majority of cases, the Maltese look upon the passage of blood and mucus as 
a normal event, which can be easily remedied by the administration of some 
form of tannic acid. The methods of feeding employed by the majority of the 
town class Maltese leave much to be desired, and large quantities of faecal 
matter must be ingested together with their food. House-flies are very 
abundant during the hot weather in Malta; and I have often observed children 
