Notes

Abstract

THE Secretary of State for the Colonies has appointed a Commission to study the nature and the relative frequency of the fevers occurring amongst the Europeans, natives, and others in West Africa, especially with regard to yellow fever and its minor manifestations. The members of the Commission are:—Sir James K. Fowler, K.C.V.O. (chairman), Major Sir Ronald Ross, K.C.B., F.R.S., Colonel Sir William Leishman, F.R.S., Prof. W. J. R. Simpson, C.M.G. Mr. A. Fiddian, of the Colonial Office, has been appointed secretary to the Commission, and Mr. T. F. G. Mayer assistant secretary. In the absence of special reasons, the members of the Commission will not themselves proceed to West Africa, but local investigators will work under their direction at certain centres. As at present arranged, those centres will be Freetown in Sierra Leone and Sekondi and Accra on the Gold Coast. The investigation will be set on foot towards the end of April or early in May. Endeavours have been made to enlist the cooperation of all medical men practising in the British dependencies in West Africa, whether as Government medical officers or otherwise. The funds for this investigation will be provided by the West African dependencies.