14
REPORT ON THE WORKING OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY
Director while it was stationed at Bellary. On the withdrawal of the laboratory
the Inspector-General of Prisons expressed his great appreciation of the work
done by this unit at Bellary.
2. The investigation of the relapsing fever epidemic at Tanjore .—In accordance
with a request from the Director of Public Health a unit was despatched on 10th
April 1922 to Tanjore to investigate the cause of a new and very severe epidemic
of fever which had been present in the Tanjore district for some time previously.
Civil Assistant Surgeon Ramakrishnan was placed in charge of this investigation
unit. The unit worked in close co-operation with the Assistant Director of Public
Health who investigated the epidemiological side of the disease.
On arrival at Tanjore Dr. Ramakrishnan had little difficulty in proving that
the epidemic was undoubtedly one of relapsing fever. Smears and animals which
were experimentally infected were forwarded to the King Institute and the
diagnosis was corroborated then. Dr. Ramakrishnan in his report (Appendix III)
gives some interesting details dealing with the clinical and epidemiological aspects
of the disease. These observations are of very great interest, for relapsing fever
has not been known to have occurred in the Madras Presidency in epidemic form
for many years. In Dr. Ramakrishnan's opinion the disease was carried by head
lice. Some experiments in the carriage of the disease by these insects was under
-taken but with negative results. The advent of the hot weather brought about a
subsidence of the epidemic before a sufficient number of these experiments could
be undertaken to ensure a successful result. The unit was withdrawn after it had
been in Tanjore for about one month.
While at Tanjore the unit was inspected once by the Director of the King
Institute and the Director of Public Health who visited the infected villages and
examined the work done in the laboratory.
3. Investigation of an outbreak of typhoid fever at St. George's Home, Kaity
. — A t t h e r e q u e s t o f t h e S u r g e o n - G e n e r a l a u n i t u n d e r M a j o r C r u i c k s h a n k , I . M . S .
with Dr. Ramakrishnan was dispatched to Kaity to investigate an outbreak of
fever amongst the children in St. George's Homes. The unit had only been at
Kaity for a few days when at the urgent request of the Inspector-General of
Prisons, it was transferred to the Central Jail at Coimbatore to investigate an
outbreak of cholera.
While at Kaity, however, the unit made inquiries into the possible sources of
the epidemic and was in the middle of the investigation when transferred.
Samples of the water were dispatched to the King Institute for examination and,
on receipt of the result of the analyses, advice as to the best source of supply and
its protection was given. Major Cruickshank's report is given in Appendix IV.
4. Investigation into an outbreak of cholera at Coimbatore Central Jail.—In
accordance with verbal orders from the Surgeon-General and at the urgent request
of the Inspector-General of Prisons the unit working at Kaity was transferred to
Coimbatore. At the same time further necessary equipment was sent from the
King Institute to meet the unit at Coimbatore. The bacteriological proof that
the disease was true cholera was soon established and an investigation into the
cause of the disease was immediately commenced. Samples of water from the
various wells were dispatched to the King Institute. The analysis of these showed
the presence of vibrios in the samples taken from two of the wells. The bacterio
- l o g i c a l e x a m i n a t i o n o f a l a r g e n u m b e r o f c o n v a l e s c e n t s a n d n o r m a l i n m a t e s o f t h e
jail resulted in the discovery of cholera-like vibrios in the stools of one of the
cooks who had not actually suffered from the disease. As a result of these
discoveries satisfactory preventive measures were inaugurated and the epidemic
came to an abrupt termination. The cultures of the various vibrios isolated were
fully investigated on the return of the unit to the Institute and formed the subject
o f a p a p e r r e a d a t t h e I n d i a n S c i e n c e C o n g r e s s a t L u c k n o w i n J a n u a r y 1 9 2 3 .
While at Coimbatore, the unit also discovered the presence of an unsuspected
epidemic of typhoid fever by bacteriological methods, and assisted in the diagnosis
and control of dysentery and other diseases. Major Cruickshank's report on the
work done by this unit is given in Appendix V.