2
REPORT ON THE WORKING OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY
have been created on the Institute staff. A suitable number of laboratory attend-
ants and Assistant Overseers have also been appointed, the latter instead of the
former shed-keeper's grade which has been abolished.
By means of these changes much closer co-operation between the bacterio-
logical and vaccine sections has been assured. The laboratory attendants
throughout the Institute are now divided into three grades with promotion from
one grade to the next as the reward of merit. The administrative advantages of
the present system over the old one where individuals were appointed to serve in
special posts are obvious.
One further innovation of considerable importance requires mention. Refer-
ence was made in my last year's report to the detachment of a small bacteriological
laboratory to assist in the measures taken to diminish the morbidity in the Moplah
prisoners' camp at Bellary. The success which attended this measure caused me
to formulate a scheme for the formation of permanent units, to be known as
" investigation units," which should be attached to the King Institute and which
should be utilized for the investigation of the causation of outbreaks of disease
throughout the Presidency. The original scheme forwarded in my letter
No. 5422–15/B., dated 25th May 1922, proposed the formation of four such units
one each for
Bacteriology.
Entomology.
Protozoology and malaria.
Helminthology.
Each unit was to consist of a properly qualified Assistant Surgeon with an
appropriate staff which was to work with the King Institute as its base and under
the immediate direction of the Director. Government sanctioned the formation
of one unit but the demand for assistance was so insistent that other units made
up of members of the Institute staff had also to be utilized in this way. The work
done by these units will be described later. Special attention is directed to their
formation here, however, as it is the first systematic attempt to give the districts
the benefit of skilled bacteriological aid in the detection of the causation of
epidemics. Proposals for an increase in the number of these units has again been
made in nay letter R.C. No. 302–1/B., dated the 23rd April 1923.
Certain alterations and additions to buildings are urgently necessary in order
to bring the King Institute up to date. These improvements concern—
(1) The vaccine section.
(4) Housing for the staff.
(2) The main building.
(5) Extensions of lighting, sewage, etc.
(3) The out-buildings.
Detailed, proposals on these questions have been formulated and forwarded to
Government in my letter R.C. No. 15729–2/V., dated the 29th April 1923.
II.—GENERAL.
The usual tri-monthly supplies of lymph have been made to the whole
Presidency during the year under report. The Agency vaccinators of Vizaga
¬ p a t a m a n d G
ō d ā v a r i a n d t h e v a c c i n a t o r s o f P o l a v a r a m r a n g e r e c e i v e d t h e i r
lymph twice a month. Routine vaccination during the hot months was discon-
tinued this year, as it was last year, in accordance with G.O. No. 374-P.H., dated
9th March 1922.
2,079,915 cases of vaccine lymph were issued from the vaccine section during
the year. (Vide statement No. 1.) This constitutes a very definite increase in the
amount of lymph supplied over the last two years. The increase over last year's
total amounts to practically 250,000 cases. This increase is chiefly due to the
extra supplies made to the districts and municipalities to whom more lymph has
been despatched during the present year than any year since 1918–19. The
demands from the jails and the Superintendent of Vaccination, Secunderabad, are
also slightly greater while the supplies to the military authorities, Agency tracts
and private bodies have been somewhat less. The temporary decrease in the
amount of lymph supplied last year due to the cessation of routine vaccination has
therefore been made up and, as the increased supplies have been made chiefly during
the cold season, it would appear as if there was a very definite improvement in the