Loss From Malaria

Aspect of imperial Development

AT a combined meeting of the Plant ers’ Group and Empire Social Ser vices Group of the Royal Empire Society in London at the end of last year, Sir Malcolm Watson, Director of the Ross Institute of Tropical Hygiene, spoke on “Malaria and Empire Development”.

Sir Harry Lindsay’s letter in “The Times” of August 6 had pointed out the extent of the trade already done by the Colonies and Dependencies and how much more important these markets might become for Great Britain, and the Empire generally, if the Colonies were better developed, and had them selves larger markets for their products,

which were not only foodstuffs but often the raw products of industries in Britain.

In a leading article, “The Times” of the same date had emphasised the im portance of Sir Harry Lindsay’s letter.

Expansion of trade has its various prob lems: “Things have to be grown before they can be sold; and there are prob lems of production to be solved as well as problems of distribution”. It added this warning: “The final test of success ful administration is not to be sought in increased returns of trade and re venue, important as such increases are, but in the growth of a healthy, pros perous and happy population with ex panding opportunities for leading a fuller life”.

Hindrance To Empire

Development

Sir Malcolm Watson spoke of his own experience of over 40 years of the tropics.

Malaria was the greatest hindrance to Empire development, directly and indir ectly; although there were other im portant factors. He gave examples of how malaria had held up progress, and told how for years no official spent a night at Bela wan, the chief port in North Sumatra, because of the severity of the malaria, but travelled from Me dan by the first train and returned by the last.

Malaria attacked Port Swettenham so severely that Sir Frank Swettenham.

High Commissioner of Malaya, sent a telegram ordering it to be closed soon after it was opened in 1901. But, thanks to Ross’s discovery, steps were taken to make the port healthy and it was not closed. Sir Malcolm also referred to es tates which had been closed on account of malaria.

Unrecognised Effects Of

Malaria

“Apart from such obvious examples of how malaria has hindered development, it has a more pernicious effect than is ordinarilv realised. I had my eyes op ened only when, bv controlling malaria in the towns of Klang and Port Swet tenham. in the Federated Malay States.

I found that the death rate from all diseases fell in a most striking way, as well as the death rate from malaria.

The following tables, Nos. 1 and 2. show clearly what hanpened as a result of the anti-malarial work carried out in 1901:

There were many similar examples of lower death rates from all diseases in cluding malaria following anti-malarial work. It is clear now that where ma laria is prevalent the death rate from dysentery, maternal mortality, convul sions in children, septic diseases and kidney diseases will all be greatly in creased, and that where malaria is re moved there is an extraordinary im

Table No. 1.

Table showing the deaths in Klang and Port Swettenham. Corrected for deaths occurring in hospital. 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 Fever 259 368 59 46 48 45 Other diseases 215 214 85 69 74 68 Total ... 474 582 144 115 122 113 (Anti-malarial drainage began in :

Table No. 2.

Table showing the number of deaths District, excluding those occurring Town and Port Swettenham. 1900 1901 1902 1903 Fever .. 173 266 227 230 Other diseases 133 150 176 198 1901.) in Klang in Klang 1904 1905 286 351 204 271 Total ... 306 416 403 428 490 622 (No anti-malarial work done.)

provement in the general health of the people.

Between 1904 and 1928 I was medical officer to a number of estates in the Malay Peninsula and became intimately aware of how detrimental to estate development this disease could be. It was by no means uncommon in Malaya for the estates to lose a third of their la bour forces by death in a year. An un healthy estate was unpopular and labourers left it either with or without

giving notice. Obviously in such a place recruiting charges must he high. Where there is much sickness -hospital/ charges must also be high. I could tell you of many estates where 20, 30, even 40 per cent, of the labour force was treated for malaria in the course of a single month. In fact, no hospital accommo dation would have been adequate in those days; and many patients had to be treated as out-patients. Costs are also raised because the mortality among the children is high and the estate is unable to build up its own labour force.

It has to depend on its recruiting.

Loss Of Crop

But the real loss produced by malaria is from the inefficiency of the labour ers. A man who is sick cannot do a full day’s work. And a man is rarely an efficient worker for days or weeks after an attack of malaria. Where ma laria is prevalent he is liable to repeated new attacks, apart from the relapses which are such a striking feature of this disease.

And so malaria reduces the work which can be done by the labourers and thereby increases the cost of the pro duction of the crop.