Page:Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, volume 1.djvu/42

18 The atoxyl and mercury treatment lately used in our laboratories gives, when compared with atoxyl, fairly permanent results, and if an atoxyl treatment should be undertaken in Uganda, it would be advisable to start at once with this combined treatment, even if the reliability of this double treatment has so far not been fully established.

Summarising, we would like to suggest, in the treatment of sleeping sickness, a fresh 20 per cent, solution of atoxyl, warmed up to 40 deg., to be administered in small doses to commence with, and the doses to be gradually increased, not, if possible, passing the limit of one cubic centimetre of a 20 per cent, solution. The atoxyl to be followed as soon as possible by mercury in the form of sublimate, and, in addition, some other trypanocide to be given. We would especially recommend fuchsin. We have lately tried a large number of colouring matters, both Ehrlich's and Mesnil and Nicolle's, and have come to the conclusion that fuchsin is the most promising. In addition to this, as was insisted upon by Thomas and Breinl, the general strength of the patient must be sustained .in every way possible.

Dr. Anton Breinl, Director of the Runcorn Research Laboratories, described and demonstrated the morphology of Trypanosoma gamhiense, and the changes which it exhibits : 1. During reproduction; 2. During treatment of its host by atoxyl. The effect of the latter drug, he said, was to cause the parasite to secrete a capsule, and to then withdraw into the internal circulation. In the blood-vessels, reproduction by sexual conjugation did not take place; at least it was never found, but division, after distinctive changes in nucleus and blepharoplast, was very common. He further demonstrated a new method of making blood films by first spreading a layer of liquid albumin on the