§ 82. Mr. Rankinasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, if he will make a statement giving his reasons for transferring the unit under his control dealing with poliomyelitis research to the Gambia.
§ Mr. BevinsI am glad to have the opportunity of answering this Question as there seems to be some misunderstanding on the subject. It is not proposed to move to the Gambia any of the units under the control of the Medical Research Council working in this country on poliomyelitis. The Medical Research Council already has laboratories in the Gambia for research in tropical medicine. Arrangements have been made to send preparations of monkey tissue from there for use in poliomyelitis work in this country. It is also proposed to send out an investigator to study the possibility of finding strains of virus occurring naturally among the relatively immune local population which may be suitable for inclusion in an improved form of the Salk vaccine.
§ Mr. Viantasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the 93W Council, if he will state the results of the visit to Africa of representatives of the Medical Research Council, who were sent to study the possibility of further supplies of monkeys from that continent for poliomyelitis research.
§ Mr. BevinsThe purpose of the recent visit to West Africa by a member of the Medical Research Council's staff was not only to investigate the supply of live monkeys, but also to find out whether monkey kidney tissue flown to this country was a suitable medium for growing the poliomyelitis virus. His report is now being studied.
§ Mr. Hobsonasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Works, as representing the Lord President of the Council, how far the Medical Research Council's search for monkeys in West Africa for growing poliomyelitis virus in this country was successful and what arrangements are being made for the import of monkeys from Gambia or any other area outside India.
§ Mr. BevinsThe Medical Research Council is at present studying the feasibility of transporting monkey kidney tissue to this country for use as a culture medium for growing poliomyelitis virus. No arrangements have yet been made for importing live monkeys from areas outside India, but the possibilities are being investigated.