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MALARIA AND RACIAL EXTINCTIONFROM time to time historians have invoked the

spread of malaria to explain the decline of humanpopulations. Usually the changes in questionhave taken place so long ago that this hypothesisis not susceptible of proof. But on another pageof this issue will be found a remarkable paper byDr. A. J. COPELAND which contains evidence thatwithin the last few years certain of the peoples inNorth Borneo have begun to fall victims to thisfate. There are two native races in North Borneo,each numbering rather less than 30,000: the

Dusuns, an agricultural, rice-growing people,inhabiting the more open higher lands ; and theMuruts, who inhabit the jungles at lower levelsand live mainly by hunting. Whereas the Dusunsare on the whole a thriving race whose numbersare on the increase, the Murut population has beenfalling steadily during the past eight years, andDr. J. G. CAMPBELL is quoted as stating that" unless given systematic and energetic medicalaid " this race is " doomed to slow but inevitableextinction." The decline of the Muruts is ascribed

by COPELAND to malaria. The village headmenstate that there have been more cases of fever inrecent years ; there have undoubtedly beenextensive clearances of jungle ; and the importedJavanese labourers are believed to have broughtwith them strains of malaria parasite, particularlysubtertian strains, to which the Muruts are notaccustomed.A prima-facie case is made out in favour of this

view. It is regrettably true that after all these

years new land in the tropics is still recklesslyopened up by planters or engineers without con-sulting the malariologists ; and thereby their

employees and the local population are often

needlessly exposed to malaria. There are, how-ever, some missing links in Dr. CO]PELAND’S chain ofevidence which must be filled in before his theory

can be regarded as fully proved. The official vitalstatistics which he quotes, showing death-rates aslow as 14 or 15 per 1000, can hardly be taken asaccurate. And then it is generally believed,though the relevant facts are extraordinarily hardto obtain, that hyperendemic malaria reduces thepopulation by causing heavy infantile mortality ;whereas COPELAND seems to attribute the reductionin the numbers of children chiefly to a lower birth-rate. Nor is there any evidence, though it is

certainly likely, that recent clearances have infact favoured the dangerous species of anophelines.The decrease in native populations is often dueto subtle influences of an imponderable psycho-logical character. Some races seem unable tothrive in contact with advancing civilisation ; andthis inability is apt to be more pronounced in ahunting than in an agricultural people. Such afailure of adaptation is the most probable causeof the decline, for example, of the Sakais of Malaya.

Dr. COPELAND’S thesis is nevertheless suggestive,.and clearly demands examination. His papergives a vivid picture of how medical work is carriedon by a sympathetic medical officer among primi-tive peoples, and it incidentally illustrates oncemore the propagandist value of yaws treatment inpopularising western medicine. To improve themalaria situation he encountered he proposes thewholesale distribution of quinine, and certainlythe present issue is hopelessly inadequate ; but itwould be unduly optimistic to expect native

villagers to take enough quinine to eradicate thedisease. However popular the remedy, quininetreatment would have to be associated with a

study of the mode of life of the Muruts, with aview to inculcating habits of clearing, housing,and living which will do something to preservethem from malarial infection. And it is to be

hoped that Dr. COPELAND’S observations willstimulate the Government of North Borneo toundertake work along these lines.

ANNOTATIONS

INSTITUTE FOR MEDICAL RESEARCH, OXFORDUNIVERSITY

THE statute establishing an Institute for MedicalResearch at Oxford, recently approved by Congre-gation, represents the latest development of a schemewhich had its origin about five years ago. At thattime Lord Nuffield-then Sir William Morris-boughtthe whole of the Observatory grounds and buildingsfrom the Radcliffe Trustees for the sum of JE 100,000and handed them over to a body of trustees, calledthe Morris Trustees, for the joint benefit of theRadcliffe Infirmary and the university medicalschool. It was indicated in the trust deed that thegreater part of the land was to be used for the needsof the infirmary and for such extension of thatinstitution as from time to time might becomenecessary. On the other hand, the Observatorybuildings, the Observer’s house, and a considerablearea of surrounding land was assigned to the univer-sity for the purpose of promoting clinical research.The trustees also had in mind the possibility in thefuture of a ward, devoted to clinical research, whichcould be brought under the general administration

of the infirmary in regard to its upkeep and nursing,with the proviso that it should not become an addi-tional expense nor a source of profit to the institution.In order that the university should take advantageof the opportunity and accommodation providedby Lord Nuffield’s great generosity, a scheme forthe establishment of a Medical Research Institutewas drawn up by the board of the faculty of medicine.The university has shown its desire and willingnessto assist the scheme officially by providing the sumof Y,1000 per annum until such time as the instituteis sufficiently endowed to run on its own resources.The board of the faculty of medicine have agreedthat a recent bequest amounting to 30,000, generouslymade to the university by the late Mrs. TheodoreWilliams, should be used for endowment, and thereare smaller sums available from other sources.

Lord Nuffield has shown his interest and further

generosity by offering to help towards the expenseof altering and equipping the Observatory buildingfor its new purposes.The Observatory buildings become vacant in

June and it is intended to use them for two lines ofresearch-namely, therapeutics and X ray cine-