35 — live by fishing, by hunting hippopotamus and various species of antelope, and by cultivating millet. They use the millet for food, and for making beer. During the last three years they have undertaken the cultivation of cotton as a rain crop. The people are of good physique, the men varying from 5 feet 9 in to 6 feet or an inch or so more. They are well developed and, unlike the Dinkas and Nuers, their lower limbs are powerfully muscled. Although the tribe, owing to its situation, has been much in contact with Arabs and Arabising influences yet the tribal organisation and the tribal customs and dress have remained unaffected. The report is given below verbatim.

Medical Survey of the Shilluk Tribe.

Area examined. The area covered so far has taken in practically all villages south of Kodok and embraces roughly 50,000 people.

Procedure. The method of procedure is as follows : — The inhabitants of a village are induced to assemble. Usually the offer of free medicine and vaccination is enough to accomplish this with the aid of the local village chief, laggards being rounded in with the assistance of a couple of chiefs’ police. Fifty average looking males and a like number of females are examined for splenic enlargement. Children were similarly dealt with at first, but latterly all have been examined. All except the sick and those requiring vaccina¬ tion are then invited to retire, the remainder being dealt with according to their needs. On the whole medicine is in great demand especially Epsom salts, for its ready action and Novarsenobillon, as often for its reputed aphrodisiac action as for its specific properties.

Chiefs’ dressers. From some of the big villages boys were recruited, trained for about a fortnight in the actual work occurring in the field, and returned to their villages equipped with first-aid boxes to act as chiefs’ dressers. Some of these boys have turned out very well, and have become very keen in their new vocation.

General Health. The general health of the people appears to be of a high standard, but most of the inspection was carried out during the dry season which is for the Shilluk the healthiest time of the year. Though the actual sickness rate works out from the register at 93 per 1,000 the majority of this consists of minor ailments, e.g. 25 per 1,000 were cases of constipation and a further 25 per 1,000 were cases of conjunctivitis Birth rate. One was greeted everywhere by large numbers of children. The average family would appear to number 4 or 5 and sterility is practically unknown in married women. Unfortunately no actual figures of births could be ascertained, but judging by the number of pregnant females encountered every¬ where it shows every likelihood of continuing at a high level. The tribal custom that intercourse is forbidden during lactation tends to keep the birth rate down.

Death rate. Regarding the death rate the Shilluk is very reticent as to death; religion and the hereafter are to him closely related subjects, mention of which is to be avoided wherever possible. Talking with the chiefs, however, practically everywhere elicited the fact that the death rate among children is decreasing, though many still die during the rains of a disease the natives do not understand. In the few cases I have been able to see during the actual illness, the diagnosis has practically always been malignant tertian malaria. This disease has