4
REPORT OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY
CLINICAL BACTERIOLOGICAL SECTION.
(1)
Charge .—While the Second Assistant Director Civil Surgeon Rao
Bahadur T. Sitapati Ayyar remained in general charge the work had to be
split up into different sub-sections.
(2)
Autovenous vaccines and tumour diagnosis .—This section is run by Rao
Bahadur Dr. T. Sitapati Ayyar himself. Details of the vaccines supplied are
given in Table VII. The work has definitely increased. Three thousand eight
hundred and eight-five doses of autogenous vaccines were supplied this year as
compared with an average of 2,415 in the last three years. Only 39 returns were
received, of the results of auto vaccine treatment although 647 courses were
issued. Of the 39 from whom returns were received 17 were said to have dis
- t i n c t l y i m p r o v e d , a n d 1 5 t o h a v e s l i g h t l y i m p r o v e d , t h e t r e a t m e n t b e i n g w i t h o u t
any appreciable effect in the remaining 7.
(3)
Clinical Bacteriology .—Details of specimens examined are given in
Table IX. The number of specimens examined is about the same as last year.
(4)
Serum reaction .—The practice of doing a Kahn test first and doing the
more troublesome Wassermann only on those sera that are Kahn positive appears
to work well. The number of tests done are given at the end of Table IX and is
about the same as last year.
(5)
Stock culture .—The work of the Institute has grown so greatly in the
last two years, that it has been found necessary to start this sub-section as a part
- t i m e d u t y t o k e e p g o i n g t h e v a r i o u s i m p o r t a n t c u l t u r e s u s e d i n m a k i n g s t o c k a n d
auto vaccines. Dr. S. R. Pandit is in charge.
PUBLIC HEALTH SECTION.
(1)
Charge .—Mr. Hawley, the Public Analyst, has acted as Assistant
Director in charge of this section. Mr. T. N. S. Raghava Acharya, the Senior
Bacteriological Assistant, has been in sub-charge of the water sampling section
and Mr. K. V. Sundaram Ayyar, the Senior Chemical Assistant, in addition to his
o w n w o r k h a s a s s i s t e d i n t h e w o r k o f t h e P u b l i c A n a l y s t .
(2)
Protected water-supplies .—Table X gives the total number of examina
- t i o n s c a r r i e d o u t . T h e n u m b e r o f s a m p l e s d e a l t w i t h — 1 , 2 6 7 i s a b o u t t h e s a m e
as in 1930.
A synopsis of the results of the periodical examinations is given in
Table XI. The following call for special comment—those which have had
repeated adverse comments in the past are starred :
—
( a ) MUNICIPALITIES.
* Adoni.—The water-supply to this station has been the subject of repeated
adverse criticism for several years, the response during the current year from the
municipality to our advice—systematic chlorination—has been very disappoint
-ing. In January chlorination was found inefficient, and in July the water was
overchlorinated. The necessity for proper daily control of the process is
obvious.
Chidambaram.—On both occasions an initially good filtered supply was found
to deteriorate in transit from the head works to the service reservoir.
* Periyakulam .—The slow sand filters at this station were overhauled
recently but have been functioning very unsatisfactorily. They clog very quickly,
the average life of a filter being under ten days. This fact was reported to the
Sanitary Engineer to Government with the suggestion that alum filming of
beds—which has proved at the Government Experimental Filters and elsewhere
to be efficient in lengthening the life of filters—might be tried here also with
advantage.
* Tuticorin .—The gallery supply derived from the new works was of good
quality. But it gets very badly contaminated by being stored in the old open
wells from which a certain portion of the town draws its supply by ropes and
buckets. Street taps are being installed.