10

REPORT ON THE WORKING OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY

        The Institute now manufactures High-titre sera for the following
organisms and can supply them to other laboratories at reasonable
rates:—

        (b) Examination of specimens.—Statement No. 11 shows the number
and type of specimens examined both in the Institute and by the various
Investigation Units. The total number of specimens examined in the
Institute itself was 12,089 as compared to 7,546 during the previous year,
showing an increase of 4,543. This increase has occurred chiefly in
connexion with the following laboratory tests:—

        Further details as to the various examinations are given in the state-
ments. The following are some of the cases of interest which were met
with during the routine examination:—

          (1) There were eleven specimens of blood sent for agglutination test
for typhus fever; of these ten were received from the Agency Tracts and
one was sent by the Chief Medical Officer, South Indian Railway. The
specimens from the suspected cases from the Agency Tracts were sent
from the Base Hospital at Narasapatam, on account of the prevalence of
some kind of "spotted fever" among the men of the Assam Rifles. One
of these specimens gave a well-marked Weil-Felix reaction, being positive
up to 1 in 100. The Medical Officer in charge reported that before the
Assam Rifles came, this type of spotted fever was unknown in the Agency;
there was, however, no mortality among the men. The specimen sent by
the Chief Medical Officer, South Indian Railway, was also from a case of
fever, with a peculiar rash on the body; the reaction, however, was
indefinite. True lice-borne typhus has been known to exist in certain
parts of upper India, but no cases have hitherto been reported from this
Presidency. Tick-borne spotted fever is met with in the Rocky Mount-
ains of the United States of America and a mite-borne fever of a similar
nature occurs in Japan. Cases of fever with typhus-like eruption have
been reported from Kumaon Hills, Central Provinces, Orissa, Bengal and
Burma and attributed to the bite of a tick. The mortality is stated to vary
from 3 to 6 per cent and the Weil-Felix reaction described as "negative in
most cases." In view of these facts the cases occurring in this Presidency
will require investigation. There is no information as to whether the
disease has spread to the civil population in the Agency Tracts.

          (2) One hundred and thirty-six blood-smears of hounds were
examined for piroplasmosis with a positive finding of piroplasma
gibsoni in 92 specimens. Intravenous injections of Novarsenobillon were
found to be very satisfactory in the treatment of this infection.

          (3) An outbreak of typhoid among the inmates of the Civil Orphan
Asylum, Madras, caused the Institute to carry out an investigation into
the causation of the epidemic. Of 159 specimens of blood which were
examined for agglutination test against the typhoid group, 24 showed a
positive finding against one or more of the organisms. These 24 cases