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REPORT OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY
Of the 17 positive cases 11 are Christians, 3 Hindus, and 3 Muhammadans. All the six
non-Christians are from Gunt ū r.
There were only two deaths so far in this series of cases. Both were babies less than
one year old and both died from Diphtheria and Bronchopneumonia after about 20 days of
the onset of the disease.
Conclusion.—Ten out of 17 cases that were positive gave distinct history of having
attended the St. Joseph's Hospital prior to their present illness, but no direct contact to
this Hospital could be traced in the other seven cases. So about 60 per cent of the cases
were most probably infected at St. Joseph's Hospital.
Except in two cases and these both adults, there were no paralytic symptoms. There
was no Diphtheritic membrane in any of the cases. In spite of the want of isolation and
proper treatment, the disease did not spread rapidly ; the fatality in this series was only two
out of 17. It is therefore very likely that the strains under investigation are of low
virulence. Perhaps the dry hot atmospheric conditions were partly responsible. The
virulence and toxigenicity of these strains is now being tested.
The Doctor in charge and some of the staff of the St. Joseph's Hospital who were found.
positive to Diphtheria, were treated with anti-toxin, isolated, and are being immunised by the
toxoid anti-toxin mixture. But other patients and positive contacts could not be dealt with
in the same way. I therefore think it advisable that all the positive cases and contacts be
traced, isolated and properly immunised, so that these may not be a menace to the school
-going children when the schools re-open after the summer vacation. A list of all positive
cases was given to the District Health Officer.
APPENDIX II.
May and June 1930.
(A) REPORT ON " UBBUMARIYAYEE" IN PENNADAM
BY
DR. K. V. VENKATARAMAN, M.D.
Introduction. —The prevalence of a type of bowel-disease possessing certain unusual
features, in the village of Pennadam, Vriddhachalam Taluk, South Arcot District, attracted
the serious attention of the District Health Officer in March 1930, when he received reports
of a number a deaths which were attributed to a disease locally known as " Ubbumari
-yayee." He inspected the village on 21st March 1930, and submitting a report to the
Director of Public Health, suggested further investigation by a Bacteriological Unit from
the King Institute. The Director of Public Health endorsed the suggestion and at his
instance the present investigation was undertaken.
2.
Description.—Pennadam is a small village on the southern border of the South
Arcot district, with a population of 4,628. The main occupation of the people is agricul
- t u r e . T h e p r i n c i p a l c r o p a f t e r t h e i n a u g u r a t i o n o f t h e T h o l u d u r C h a n n e l P r o j e c t i n 1 9 2 3
is paddy ; ground-nut is grown as a subsidiary crop. Of recent years rice is the
staple article of diet among all classes, and is consumed after it is " parboiled ". The
arrangements for the storage of paddy are apparently inadequate; and, for the most part,
it is stored in stacks made of bundles of straw in front of the houses out on the street and
is liable to become damp during heavy rains.
3. Material and method of investigation. —At the time of my visit there were very few
cases in whom the disease could be considered to have been active. At Pennadam there
were only five cases who were unable to get out of their houses ; two were confined to bed
and the other three were too weak to get about. At Irayur and Kothattai, villages within
three miles of Pennadam, I saw six more cases who had to remain in bed. Aside from
these there were about 60 persons in Pennadam and the neighbouring villages who had.
suffered from Ubbumariyayee and had recovered sufficiently to be able to go about their
duties, but did not feel quite fit and complained chiefly of anorexia, indigestion and general
weakness. Observations made on these two classes of people form the bulk of the evidence
on which this report is based. There were besides, a number of persons who, by the
accounts given by those attending the Laboratory and by the Health Inspector, seemed to
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