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possible within the short space of a review to mention the various con-
tributions made by the workers of this institute but only the salient features
will be alluded to.
8. Malaria being one of the most important diseases in India con-
siderable attention has been directed to various aspects of this problem.
Valuable observations on the preventive aspect of the disease have been
made in the Bengal Delta, the Dooars and Assam. Systematic investi-
gations into the problem of malaria and its treatment with anti-malaria
remedies have been carried out and the School has been responsible for the
discovery of ape malaria in India and its employment in testing the efficacy
of anti-malarial drugs. The researches carried out on the aetiology,
diagnosis and treatment of Kala-azar have been particularly successful.
The School has in a great measure been responsible for the introduction of
pentavalent compounds of antimony and in reducing the incidence of this
disease in certain districts of Bengal and Assam which were once the hot-
beds of the disease, and have now been rendered healthy and habitable.
Notable progress has been made in the treatment of dysenteries, hill
diarrhoea and sprue in India. The study of cholera and investigations on
its treatment with bacteriophage have met with very encouraging results.
Extensive work has been carried out in connection with aetiology and treat-
ment of leprosy. A complete hookworm survey of India and Burma has been
carried out, and new methods of combating mass infections in the mill
areas have been outlined. Filariasis has been studied from both preven-
tive and curative view points with results which promise to have an im-
portant bearing on the control of this widespread disease. Though it is
not yet possible to bring about a cure in the true sense of the term, the
secondary complications associated with the disease are now successfully
treated. Very important work has also been done on the aetiology and
treatment of epidemic dropsy lathyrism, diabetes, respiratory diseases and
anaemias. Important observations have been recorded in connection with
spirillar diseases. It has been shown that rat-bite fever is quite a common
occurrence in Calcutta and leptospiral infections are also common in these
rodent. The existence of Weils' disease in man has been definitely
demonstrated by workers in the School.
9. A very important research programme which has far-reaching influ
-
ence on the scientific and economic aspects of Indian indigenous drugs
consists in the investigation into the claims of the rich materia medica of
the Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine on modern scientific lines.
A large number of remedies of repute in the indigenous materia medica
has been studied from the botanical, chemical, pharmacological, toxicolo- -
gical and clinical view points. The field for research in the domain of
I n d i a n i n d i g e n o u s d r u g s i s a v a s t o n e a n d o n l y t h e f r i n g e o f t h e p r o b l e m s
has so far been touched. This work when completed will be of great
importance from medical and agricultural points of view. An all-India
Inquiry into the problems of drug addiction in India has also been carried
out. The subject is of vital importance from the social, economic and
health points of view and has received the recognition of the League of
Nations. Another important work done is the initiation of a Biological
Standardization Laboratory for the analysis of drugs on the Indian Market.
Because there is no legislation in this country to prevent fraudulent manu-
f a c t u r e r s f r o m s e l l i n g w o r t h l e s s d r u g s , t h e I n d i a n m a r k e t i s l i t e r a l l y f l o o d e d