REPORT ON THE WORKING OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY

29

A FILARIAL SURVEY WITH A STATISTICAL ENQUIRY INTO THE RELATION-
SHIP OF FILARIASIS AND ELEPHANTIASIS

By

Major J. A. CRUICKSHANK, M.C., M.D., I.M.S.,

 „   J. CUNNINGHAM, B.A., M.D., I.M.S.,

and

Dr. T. SEETHAPATI AYYAR, L.M.S.

(From the King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Guindy).

     This paper presented the results of a statistical survey of the disease in Saidapet, a heavily
infected area near Madras. Attention was specially directed to the differences presented by
the disease in South India and in other parts of the tropics, especially Fiji.

     These differences are especially in the microfilaria rate in cases of filarial disease and
particularly in elephantiasis. In India microfilaria are less frequent in cases of filarial disease
than in those without filarial disease, while in Fiji the reverse apparently holds good. The
paper records the important observation that the proportion of persons affected with elephan-
tiasis regularly increases with age.

NOTE ON THE RATIOS OF THE NUMERICAL CONTENT OF CERTAIN BACTE-
RIAL SUSPENSIONS OBTAINED BY THE HÆMOCYTOMETER METHOD
TO THOSE OBTAINED WITH BROWN'S OPACITY TUBES

By

Major J.. CUNNINGHAM, B.A., M.D., I.M.S.,

and

B. TIMOTHY, L.M.P. (Madras), Sub-Assistant Surgeon
(From the King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Guindy).

     The opacity method of enumerating bacteria introduced by Brown was originally based on
numerical equivalents estimated by a combination of Wright's and Braxton Hick's methods.
In a later communication the rates of the numerical content of bacterial suspensions obtained
by the hæmocytometer methods to his original table (taken as unity) were only given for
B. typhosus, B. paratyphosus A and paratyphosus B.

     Further series of other common organisms have been submitted to a similar procedure
and their ratios to Brown's original table have been estimated. The results which have been
obtained so far correspond closely with those given by Brown. The numerical value of the
opacity tubes as estimated by the Hæmocytometer method is somewhat higher than the
values originally given by this author, the ratio between the old and new methods varying
between 1 to 1.2 and 1 to 0.9 for different organisms.

THE VALUE OF FORMAL GEL TEST FOR SYPHILIS

By

Civil Assistant Surgeon S. RAMAKRISHNAN.

     Series of 539 specimens of blood sent to the King Institute for the Wassermann reaction
were also tested with the formal gel test described by Gate and Papacostas.

     Agreement between two tests was only reached in 66.6 per cent of cases. A series of
these cases has also been investigated from the clinical side and the results are given.

THE VALUE OF CULTURE OF THE PERIPHERAL BLOOD IN KALA-AZAR
AS A DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURE

By

Dr. T. SEETHAPATI AYYAR, L.M.S.,

and

Dr. K. V. KRISHNAN, M.B., B.S.

(From the King Institute of Preventive Medicine, Guindy).

     The results appear to show that the culture method used purely for purposes of diagnosis
and not merely as a corroborative test, gives information of value in about 25 per cent
of cases.