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R E P O R T O F T H E K I N G I N S T I T U T E , G U I N D Y
4. An inquiry into the health of the Todas.— These are a small primitive tribe
in the Nilgiris Hills. The inquiry was made in March, April and May 1928,
by Assistant Surgeon S. R. Pandit, and has been published in G.O. No. 2044,
P.H., dated 17th October 1927.
5. Identification of sources of Coliform bacteria.—Civil Surgeon T. Sitapati
Ayyar continued his work on this important subject. A paper is being published.
6. Filariasis.— The Assistant Director, Dr C. G. Pandit, has continued to do
a great deal of work on this subject with the help of Dr. S. R. Pandit, Dr. K.
Padmanabha Menon, and Mr. P. V. Sitarama Ayyar who since October have
been or more or less been regularly detailed as part of Investigation Units for this
work. From October to March, a detailed survey of parts of Saidapet was made
by these workers under my general supervision.
(a) Experimental filariasis.— In last year's annual report the filaria found
in the common blood sucker (Calotis Versicolor) was said to belong to the Genus
Saurositus. Further study leads us to think that this is incorrect and that it is a
new species requiring a new genus to include it. Dr. Maplestone of the Calcutta
School of Tropical Medicine to whom Dr. C. G. Pandit referred agreed that this is
the case. We place it in the sub-family Micro-pleurinæ because its genital opening
is centrally situated, and give it the new generic name " Conispiculum " because of
its cone shaped short spicules, and the new specific name " guindiensis " from this
locality. The infection has been transmitted to healthy Calotes by the bites of
infected laboratory-bred culex fatigans mosquitoes. Details of this and other
work on experimental filariasis and of a field survey of filariasis in lizards will
be published shortly.
(b) Human filariasis.— Saidapet is a town close to Guindy which was
found to be heavily infected four years ago, when a survey was made by Lieut.
Col. Cunningham. This year, instead of a general survey, we have made an
intensive house-to-house study of the disease in certain selected areas with the
hope of learning something about the factors that bring about the development
of elephantiasis. Briefly the most interesting findings are
(1) The high percentage of infected mosquitoes. Of 1,741 female culex
fatigans dissected 34 per cent was found to be infected. The question arises (it
was first raised by Major Sinton, v.c., I.M.S.) to what extent is this mosquito
infection derived from (and so infective to) man on the one hand and animals and
birds on the other. An attempt is being made to answer this question by examin--
ing crows, dogs and other animals subject to filariasis. So far the answer to the
question is that the infection appears to be mainly human in origin.
(2) The proportion of infected human beings was found to be 16.3 per
cent of 1,664 examined.
(3) In certain areas, although the micro-filaria rate was about the average,
yet there was practically no clinical disease. In other areas, the disease was
disproportionately more common. A complete report on the findings will be
forwarded in the near future.
(c) Therapeutic researches.— Work is being done on two lines. Firstly,
laboratory work testing the effect of drugs on micro-filariæ, filaria larvæ obtained
from mosquitoes, and on adult worms from lizards, etc. Secondly, vaccines made
from streptococci isolated from elephantoid tissues are given to selected cases of
elephantiasis in man.
7. Treatment of smallpox by potassium permanganate.— Reference :—Last
year's report, page 14, paragraph 14 ; a preliminary note on this subject by Dr.
J. H. Theodore was published in the Indian Medical Gazette dated September 1927.
8. Placenta as an enriching medium for the gonococcus .—Reference :—Last
year's report, page 14, paragraph 15 ; an article by Dr. J. H. Theodore was
published in the Indian Medical Gazette, dated August 1927.
(H) CONCLUDING REMARKS.
The year has been noteworthy for the great increase in routine work mainly
in the manufacture of cholera vaccine. For a few weeks, at the time of the
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