8

REPORT ON THE WORKING OF THE INSTITUTE, GUINDY

(ii) BACTERIOLOGICAL SECTION.

        (a) Manufacture of vaccines.—The Institute has continued to manufacture all
the chief types of bacterial vaccines which are in demand for both curative and
prophylactic purposes. Statements 9 and 10 give the list of the various types of
vaccines made during the year. The total number of doses despatched was 62,521
as opposed to 71,654 issued last year. The decrease is due to the smaller demand
for combined typhoid and paratyphoid and meningococcus vaccines. A. very
satisfactory feature, however, is the constant increase in the amount of prophy-
lactic cholera vaccines called for. The increase this year amounted to 2,154 doses.
The demand for autogenous vaccines is also steadily growing. 3,297 doses of
vaccine grown from all types of organisms were made—a figure nearly two times
larger than the amount issued last year. The amount of work involved in the
diagnosis and isolation of these various organisms from mixed cultures and finally
the preparation of the vaccine is very considerable and throws a great strain upon
the staff responsible for this work. The number of returns received as compared
to the results obtained with these vaccines was as usual negligible and is not
worth analysing.

        (b) Examination of specimens.—The number and type of medical specimens
examined both in the Institute itself and by the various investigation units are
given in statement 11. 7,546 specimens have been examined in the Institute itself,
as opposed to 5,708 last year, an increase of 1,838. The types of examinations
chiefly responsible for this increase are as follows:—

        Further details as to the various examinations are given in the statement.
An interesting series of tests were carried out on sera sent from cases suffering
from a peculiar fever which had broken out amongst certain of the troops operat-
ing in the agency tracts. One specimen out of seven gave a definitely positive
Weil Felix reaction. It is more than probable therefore that the outbreak was
one of true typhus fever. The clinical symptoms corroborate this diagnosis. The
disease was undoubtedly imported from Assam with the Assam rifles, and so far
as is known, did not spread amongst the local inhabitants. It was not associated
with cases of relapsing fever.

        (c) Antitoxic sera.—The Institute continued to purchase store and distribute
the antitoxic sera required for the medical institutions of the Presidency. There
was again a substantial increase in the amount of serum issued. (Vide statement
No. 12.) Government do not yet appear to have grasped the fact that the Insti-
tute only acts as a purchasing and storing agency and that it gains no advantage
therefrom. The cost of this serum should not be a charge on the Institute budget
but should come from a separate allotment altogether nor should the institute
budget be called upon to supply the deficiency when the grant for the purchase
is exceeded as it nearly always is early in the year. This is more correctly a
charge on the budget of the various hospitals who use the serum.

(iii) PUBLIC HEALTH SECTION.

        Two hundred and forty-two specimens of a public health nature, excluding
water, were examined in this section. This constitutes an increase of 60 per cent
over the previous year's figures. The accompanying statement (statement 13)
shows the material examined to have been of a widely varying nature but the
number of specimens examined under each head is still very small. With the
arrival of the Public Analyst who is in charge of this section a great increase in
its activities is to be expected.