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REPORT ON THE WORKING OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY
APPENDIX No. VI.
REPORT ON THE WORKING OF THE BACTERIOLOGICAL LABORATORY
ATTACHED TO THE CANNANORE CENTRAL JAIL
BY
TEMPORARY CIVIL ASSISTANT SURGEON K. V. KRISHNAN.
Acting under the orders of the Director of King Institute, I proceeded to the Central
Jail, Cannanore, on 9th September 1922 in charge of a mobile bacteriological unit with the
necessary laboratory equipment and two laboratory attendants.
About this time Dysentery, Ankylostomiasis, Cerebro-spinal Fever and Chicken-pox were
prevalent in the Mappilla country. Mappilla prisoners were coming into the Cannanore Jail
in quick succession in the most miserable state of health. These were bringing infection
with them and were transmitting it to the several jails to which they were being subsequently
transferred after a period of stay in this jail, which varied from a day to a month. The
Director discussed the matter with the Inspector-General of Prisons and decided that the
-Cannanore Central Jail should be made to act as a clearing station for the Mappilla prisoners
as far as their health was concerned. Every Mappilla prisoner as soon as he was convicted
was to be sent into the Cannanore Central Jail and was to undergo a quarantine for a period
of fifteen days during which time he was to be thoroughly examined bacteriologically to see
whether he was a carrier of any of the infectious diseases prevalent such as Dysentery,
Cerebro-spinal Fever, etc. By this arrangement the control of epidemic in the various jails,
to which these prisoners were transferred, was to be attempted.
Before starting I took detailed instructions from the Director regarding the selection
of rooms for the laboratory as well as for the bacteriological examinations to be carried out
and the hygienic and sanitary methods to be adopted in controlling any epidemics.
The unit left the King Institute within 12 hours' notice and reached Cannanore the
followin g evening.
It was definitely understood that the unit was to be an off-shoot of the King Institute,
receiving all its requirements in the way of media, stains and other apparatus from the Central
laboratory at Guindy. Media and stains essential for the work of the unit were made up at
the King Institute and sent in convenient bulk to Cannanore as often as required. This
procedure worked well and enabled a large volume of routine work to be carried on efficiently
with the minimum of staff and equipment and in a shorter time than would have been
possible otherwise. Specimens of a complex nature requiring detailed bacteriological
examination were sent to the Central laboratory for confirmation and favour of the Director's
opinion.
Within a fortnight of my arrival, the Director inspected the laboratory and considered
that the location and arrangements for the conduct of the laboratory work were suitable in
every way. As there was as yet no efficient system of quarantine for want of proper accom
- m o d a t i o n f o r p r i s o n e r s , I p o i n t e d o u t t o h i m t h e d e s i r a b i l i t y o f e n f o r c i n g a p r o p e r s y s t e m o f
quarantine whereby no prisoner could leave the jail before a minimum stay of 15 days in the
quarantine and until he is declared to be in a fit condition to be transferred as a result of a
detailed bacteriological examination when necessary. The Director was in favour of this idea
and wrote to the Inspector-General of Prisons making this suggestion and pointing out in
addition the necessary extra accommodation which was essential to give effect to this recom
-mendation. This scheme was accepted by the Inspector-General of Prisons and the accom
- m o d a t i o n w a s f o r t h w i t h d o u b l e d .
The Assistant Director inspected the laboratory on the 23rd December 1922 and
reported that the work was progressing satisfactorily.
The number of specimens examined at this laboratory during the period of seven
months it stayed at Cannanore, totalled 3,435, made up of 1,463 naso-pharyngeal swabs for
- t h e d e t e c t i o n o f m e n i n g o c o c c i , 9 6 6 s p e c i m e n s o f s t o o l s f o r t h e p r e s e n c e o f A n k y l o s t o m e o v a ,
357 stools for the presence of amoebic cysts, 85 cultural examinations from cases of latent
dysentery, and 564 specimens of a varied nature from the hospital. In addition, the
- m i c r o s c o p i c e x a m i n a t i o n o f 4 0 , 5 4 0 s p e c i m e n s o f e x c r e t a f r o m 4 , 2 5 4 c o n v i c t s w a s m a d e w i t h a
view to detecting latent dysentery cases, 1,124 of these proved positive, 238 of which, however,
were considered suspicious. (See table attached.)
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