I  (ibserve  that  the  experiment  of  screening  Port  Antonio  liospital 
was  tried,  but,  i  understand,  was  abandoned  because  the  wire  gauze 
was  interfered  with  by  the  patients.  But  surely  this  is  a  matter  for 
supervision  and  care. 
I  venture  to  think  it  essential  that  the  Port  Antonio  Plospital, 
full  of  malarious  patients  (see  Medical  Reports),  situated,  as  it  is,  on 
the  ridge  on  which  the  hotel  and  the  principal  dwellings  are  built, 
should  be  thoroughly  screened  on  account  of  the  danger  to  the 
general  public. 
Coolie  Barracks 
A  third  situation  in  which  protection  by  wire  gauze  should  be 
seriously  considered  is  Coolie  Barracks.  I  am  aware  that  it  will  be 
urged  that  the  habits  and  intelligence  of  the  average  coolie  will 
render  this  difficult  if  not  impracticable,  but  after  all,  this  is  largely 
a  question  of  custom.  At  first  no  doubt  there  would  be  damage,  but 
with  careful  supervision,  and  as  the  coolie  becomes  accustomed  to 
it,  I  am  convinced  that  the  difficulty  would  disappear. 
Even  a  hundred  and  thirty  years  ago  the  health  of  employes  was 
a  matter  of  concern  to  the  planters,  for  I  came  across,  in  the  History 
of  Jamaica,  already  quoted,  the  following  pregmant  remarks,  which 
are  as  applicable  now  as  then  :  — 
‘  Those  whom  fortune  has  blest  with  abundance  should  be  studious 
‘  to  preserve  the  lives  of  their  dependents  whose  poverty  is  their 
‘  greatest  crime.  The  cruelty  of  exposing  the  lives  of  men  to  sickness 
‘  or  death  by  restricting  them  to  live  in  wretched  hovels  or  in 
‘  unhealthy  spots  needs  only  to  be  pointed  out  in  order  to  be  relieved. 
'  The  natural  generosity  and  benevolent  disposition  of  the  planters 
‘  will  immediately  lead  them  to  administer  the  certain  remedy 
‘  although  it  may  be  attended  at  first  with  some  extraordinary 
‘  expense  to  them.’ 
If  some  public-spirited  employer  in  Jamaica  will  carry  out  the 
experiment  thoroughly  and  will  carefully  and  accurately  note  the 
result,  I  am  sure  that  the  striking  improvement  which  will  be 
effected  will  lead  others  to  follow  his  example. 
There  are  several  minor  personal  matters,  such  as  anointing  the 
body  with  various  oils  or  ointments  to  prevent  mosquitoes  biting, 
fumigation  of  rooms  by  special  preparations,  etc.,  but  these  are 
unreliable  and  not  likely  to  be  of  general  application  so  that  they 
need  not  be  considered  in  detail. 
