| RefNo | NLB/14/500 |
| AltRefNo | NLB/14 p279-282 |
| Level | Item |
| Title | Copy letter from Michael Foster, to Dr David Bruce, [Fellow of the Royal Society] |
| Date | 19 March 1897 |
| Description | Foster provides a statement of the various results the Society has obtained and a number of suggestions for Bruce [last two pages] [regarding Tsetse Fly investigations].
With respect to the former, Bruce will see that the Society has worked on the possibility of toxins being produced by the haematozoon, and so of anti-toxins. All the results have so far been negative and he fears they must abandon any idea of remedial measures in this direction. Regarding natural history they have failed so far to work out the life cycle and are rapidly coming to the conclusion that the life-cycle is completed somewhere outside the body of the Nagaland animal. It looks as if there were some intermediate host, for example the dung of animals. The Society is inclined to think the most hopeful line of enquiry is that of determining the hypothetical intermediate host. If they can obtain this they may perhaps stop the disease by getting rid of, or in some way interfering with the host.
They have under consideration the question of sending someone out to work with Bruce but must progress further before deciding upon this point.
Wonders if it would be possible to send some non-infective pupae again to Peringuey at the Cape, in order that he might rearer them. In this way they might obtain the fly alive.
Includes two pages of suggestions numbered one to eight regarding queries and experiments Bruce could undertake on the haematozoon. |
| Extent | 4p |
| AccessStatus | Open |
Fellows associated with this archive
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| NA8220 | Foster; Sir; Michael (1836 - 1907); physiologist | 1836 - 1907 |
| NA8153 | Bruce; Sir; David (1855 - 1931); bacteriologist and parasitologist | 1855 - 1931 |