R REPORT OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY
6. Statistical research.—The final interpretation of most biological experiments
using animals or plants with control rests with statistics. So any improvement in
the statistical methods used is of the greatest importance to research workers.
Col. King has evolved a relative instead of an absolute method of measuring
statistical significance. A paper on the subject will appear shortly.
7. Miscellaneous.—The new colloidal lead solution prepared by Mr. Hawley,
Public Analyst, and tried by Dr. J. H. Somerville in cases of malignant disease
(referred to in the annual report for 1926 -27) has had to be abandoned. Though
it gave very favourable results in a few cases, Dr. Somerville found that the
reaction following its use was too severe for it to be adopted generally.
Mr. Hawley is also collaborating with Surgeon-General Megaw in a paper
describing some very rapid sorting tests to be used by inspecting officers for test-
ing the strength of stock mixtures of quinine sulphate and potassium-iodide
when visiting hospitals and dispensaries.
The Indian Science Congress held its sixteenth annual meeting at Madras in
January 1929. The following papers were submitted to the Congress by the
members of the King Institute staff :—
Lt.-Col. H. H. King, 1.M.S.
—
(1) A relative instead of an absolute method of measuring statistical
significance.
(2) Some matters of interest in the work of the King Institute during
1926-28.
Lt.-Col. H. H. King, I.M.S., Drs. C. G. Pandit and K. P. Menon and
M.R.Ry. P. V. Sitarama Ayyar
—
(3) Filarial survey of Saidapet.
Drs. C. G. Pandit, S. R. Pandit and M.R.Ry. P. V. Sitarama Ayyar
—
(4) The adhesion phenomenon in filariasis.
(5) A new filarid in Calotes versicolor-conspiculum guindiensis n.g., n.sp.
(6) The life cycle of conspiculum guindiensis n.g., n.sp. (1928) in the
intermediate host C. fatigans, with a survey of filariasis in the lizard (Calotes
versicolor).
Drs. C. G. Pandit and S. R. Pandit—
(7) Immunological reactions with helmintbic antigens.
M.R.Ry. P. V. Sitarama Ayyar
—
(8) A report on rat flea survey of Hosur, Salem district.
M.R.Ry. T. N. S. Raghavachari and S. V. Ganapati
—
(9) Some observations on the water of the Red Hills Lake.
Dr. K. S. Ranganathan
—
(10) Group agglutination in Paratyphoid fever.
Dr. T. Sitapati Ayyar
—
(11) Classification of lactose-fermenters by serological methods.
(H) CONCLUSION.
The year's work was done under the guidance of Lt.-Col. King, I.M.S., who
was the Director practically till the end of the year. Both on his behalf and myself,
I wish to thank the various members of the staff for their hearty co-operation and
willing support in maintaining the high standard of efficiency in the Institute.
This year there has been further increase in the general activities of the
Institute. Increase in routine work is shown by the issue of an unusually large
number of doses of cholera vaccine and vaccine lymph. The case success rate
with the vaccine lymph was 97.4 per cent, the highest obtained so far in the
Presidency. It is also very gratifying to note that definite evidence regarding
the efficacy of cholera vaccine is now available, thus amply justifying the extra
expenditure incurred in issuing the vaccine free of cost to public health bodies and
dispensaries.