5
REPORT OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY
2. In July 1932 Dr. Y. S. Narayana Rao
with an investigation unit for clinical and
water work attended the Pushkaram Festival
at Rajahmundry.
3. Mr. P . V . S i t a r a m a A y y a r , t h e I n s t i t u t e
Zoologist, visited Bellary in November 1931
and Mysore State in March-April 1932 for
rat-flea surveys.
4. Mr. T. N. S. Raghavachari investigated
a plague rat-fall at Tiruvallur. Infected
fleas were most probably imported in yarn
from Bangalore.
5. In April 1932, I visited the Indian
Research Fund Associations' Plague Re-
search Inquiry in the Cumbum Valley under
the Director of Public Health, Major
Webster visited the same in August 1932.
ASSISTANCE TO OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
1. Education.—The
usual first-class
vaccinators' class was held in the Institute
for a fortnight in November and 84 students
attended. Seven visits were made by
batches of students from colleges and schools
during the year. The following attended
for practical training in bacteriological
work :–
Mr. G. D. Valiath, M.B., B.S., Medical
School, Tanjore.
Mr. K. C. Mathew, M.B., B.S., Medical
Officer, Seychelles.
Mr. H. R. Swingler, I.M.D., Burma,
2. Veterinary sera.—The work of receiv-
ing, coldstoring and distributing veterinary
sera continued until 13th June 1932 when
the work was transferred to the Veterinary
Department .
3. Vaccine lymph .—Regular supplies of
vaccine lymph were made to Secunderabad
Cantonment, the Station Municipality,
Bangalore and to Cochin State.
4. Water samples from Pudukkotta and
Cochin States were examined.
DISTINGUISHED VISITORS.
1. Major-General Sprawson, I.M.S., Sur-
geon-General with the Government of
Madras.
2. Col. R. Mc. Carrison, I.M.S., Director
of the Nutrition Inquiry under the Indian
Research Fund Association.
3 . D r . G i l b e r t F o w l e r .
4. Lieut.-Col, F. P. Mackie, I.M.S., of
the Research Department.
5. Lieut.-Col. A. J. H Russell, I.M.S.,
Officiating Public Health Commissioner with
the Government of India.
6. Rao Bahadur V. Govindaraju of the
Bengal Public Health Institute.
PART II—RESEARCHES.
1. Treatment
of " finished" calves—
Major W. J. Webster .—After removal of
lymph from a calf it has been customary to
smear the vaccinated area with eucalyptus
and vaseline ointment and then dust it with
corn flour. It was noticed in some calves
detained longer than usual that the operated
area had become septic. This appeared to be
due primarily to the occurrence of secondary
vesiculation which was later followed by
sepsis, Accordingly it was thought that an
application which would kill the virus re-
maining after scraping would lessen this
inflammation. Trials show that washing
with 1 per cent potassium permanganate or
dusting with eupad, limits secondary vesicu-
lation and gives results very much better than
when such anti-virus treatment is not done.
Accordingly this will be our routine in
future. It is an important improvement that
affects the appearance and welfare of vacci-
nated calves and thus helps to popularise
vaccination.
2.
The action of clove oil on vaccine
lymph and the extent of damage to the
virus.—Dr. K. P.M e n o n .
— T h e p r o p e r t y o f
clove oil being inimical to the bacteria in
lymph is well known, and for this reason it is
the routine practice of the Government
Lymph Establishment at Hendon in England
to add clove oil up to a strength of 0.1. per
cent to vaccine lymph soon after manufac-
ture, This was tried here some years ago,
but was not established as a practice because
the potency was found to be a little reduced,
and it was thought best not to allow any-
thing to interfere with putting out the most
potent virus possible. Seeing that in recent
years the activity of our vaccine lymph has
considerably increased I thought it advisable
to again try whether it would stand the
purifying effect of clove oil. Accordingly at
my request Dr. C. G. Pandit started some
experiments in 1930. These have been con-
siderably extended by Dr. K. P. Menon
whose work will be published in due course.
Briefly he finds that the bactericidal action of
clove oil up to 0.1 per cent is very good
indeed, particularly at air temperatures when
its action is very rapid., and that at such
temperatures though the virus tends to be
damaged, it is still active after three weeks.
At temperatures below freezing point, the
deterioration of the potency is negligible
even after three months and the bacterial
purification is very good.
3. The trial of clove-oiled lymph in the
field.—I thought it best to be cautious in
its use under field conditions, and so at first
had it used only for lymph issued to Madras
City where by reason of the city's proximity,
there is the minimum delay between issue
and use, This was started. in December
1930. As seen from the following record of