XXV 
TRYPANOSOMIASIS 
SLEEPING sickness cases were first observed on the west coast of Africa, and in 
1803 Winterbottom gave an interesting account of the symptoms of the disease, 
as he observed them, near Sierra Leone. 
Johnston ' and Maughan ? have both referred to the occurrence of sleeping 
sickness in Liberia and Johnston states that it became noticeable early in the 
nineteenth century, and that Doala Bukere, the inventor of the Vai alphabet, 
died from this disease. To the affection the local name of konje-kira * was applied. 
The Vais evidently had an exceedingly vague idea of the malady since this 
term may be translated as “ball sickness” or “‘gland sickness,’ or perhaps even 
as “‘kidney sickness.’’ Nevertheless, in the case of Doala Bukere the disease 
was said to produce in him such extraordinary drowsiness that he often fell 
asleep while taking his meals. Johnston also gives a colored photograph of a 
- Mandingo of healthy appearance whom he states died of sleeping sickness some 
time afterward (in 1905). 
It may be recalled that it was not until 1903, after Castellani, Bruce, and 
others, had demonstrated that a trypanosome was the cause of sleeping sickness, 
that we had in the demonstration of this parasite in the patient, a definite and 
convincing proof of the diagnosis of the disease. While from a clinical standpoint, 
then, sleeping sickness had been recognized in early years in Liberia, neverthe- 
less, the diagnosis had not been made microscopically, and trypanosomes ap- 
parently had not been demonstrated in Liberia either in tsetse flies or in human 
beings prior to the present Expedition. In one of the wild flies, Glossina palpalis, 
captured at Tappi Town, Liberia, trypanosomes were found in the microscopical 
examination of fresh and stained preparations made from the dissection of both 
the gut and from the head segments of the fly. This, however, was the only 
Glossina found infected among all the tsetse flies which were caught and examined 
about this village. No human cases of trypanosomiasis were found in this 
district. Theiler, however, who examined ten children who were brought to 
him when he inquired for cases of konje-kira, found in five of them trypanosomes 
in the films made with fluid obtained from the lymphatic glands by puncture. 
These cases were observed about and between the villages of Bakratown and 
Paiata. They are referred to in greater detail on page 497. Human trypano- 
somiasis is evidently very rare in Liberia. Dr. Bequaert in the entomological 
report has described the species and the localities in which Glossina were found 
in Liberia. 
1 Johnston: Loc. cit., p. 986. 
2 Maughan: Loc. cit., p. 287. 
’ The Kpwesi word for “‘ konje-kira”’ is ‘‘ptauli.”’ 
367 
