INTRODUCTION 11
disinfected and so all danger of fouling the soil, and through it the waters of the Blue Nile obviated.
The laboratories’ museum is much indebted to those who have been good Museum of enough to send it specimens. The chief contributors have been Dr. Christopherson laboratories of the Civil Hospital, Omdurman, Lt.-Colonel Griffith, P.V.O., Major Bray, Principal the late Captain McArdle, who took much interest in the work, and whose d°nors untimely death is greatly to be deplored, Captains Pavers, Cummins, and Ensor of the Egyptian Medical Corps, and Sadek Effendi and Nagib Shedid Effendi, of the same service. Mr. and Mrs. Broun, members of the Museum Board, hive also from time to time presented specimens of drugs and poisonous plants.
It is a great pleasure to be able to report that in several instances the medical officers in Khartoum have availed themselves of the facilities presented by the laboratories, and have worked in them to some extent. Captain Ensor, especially, has devoted much of his spare time to blood examinations and other research. One is only too pleased to welcome such visitors, and place the laboratory resources at their disposal; and they have responded by permitting one access to clinical material under their charge, and furnishing notes and general information of great value.
Ha\ ing been appointed a member of the Museum Board, it devolved on me to get the General and Economic Museum room ready for occupation, and the first specimens collected and mounted. To this work Mr. Newlove devoted himself with his accustomed energy. In this museum, but associated with the Economic^ laboratories’ work, are various specimens of diseased dura, a collection of mos- Museum quitoes including microscopical preparations of the three genera most common in
Khartoum, examples of injurious insects such as those which destroy the melon plant, and the aphides, so destructive to the dura crop. In contrast to these latter are the beneficial lady-birds (Coccinehidge), found along with the Aphides.
Specimens of two species of tse-tse fly, one of which occurs in the Sudan, are also exhibited, as are a few snakes, scorpions, locusts, and samples of ore.
The years work, of which a record is here given, has conclusively proved that it would be a great advantage to increase the small staff by the appoint¬ ment of a chemist. At present the staff consists only of the Director, a laboratory assistant, and two Sudanese, one a small boy. Considering the work which has Staft to be done, and might be done, and the size of the country which these laboratories serve, it is essential that such an addition should be made. His Excellency the Governor-General, who has taken a deep interest in the laboratories and all that pertains to them, has been approached upon this subject, and, thanks to his prompt recognition of the need for such an official, permission Necessity [or
has now been obtained and a chemist well versed in agricultural, economic and staff toxicological work will shortly be appointed. Another post which might well be filled is that of collector, a trained observer whose duty it would be to traverse the country and collect blood films, biting and injurious insects, parasites, photographs of pathological conditions amongst the natives, drugs, poisons, and