2
In the past, not a little confusion has resulted. from mistaking parasites, special to
blood-sucking invertebrates, for stages in the life history of pathogenic parasites absorbed
with blood from vertebrate hosts harbouring such. In both these respects Captain.
:Patton's recent work yields important information.
With regard to the examination of pathological and other material sent for report
it has to be remarked that from July 1908 onwards all specimens, the examination of
which inv olved the cutting of sections, have been transferred to the Pathological
department, Madras Medical College. In spite of this, however, the number of
specimens examined. during 1908 was considerably in advance of that for 1907 which
yields gratifying evidence that the laboratory is meeting a felt-want. The numbers.
for the two years were 2,907 and 1,893, respectively. For the first quarter of 1909
an additional 383 have been examined which brings the number now under report.
to 3,290.
TABLE.
N u m b e r s .
Description of specimens.
Number of
positive
results.
Number of
negative
results.
Total.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Plague—Animal (such as rat, bandicoot, squirrel (rabbit, cat)
...
Plague—Human—
Peripheral bloods--11 1 130 treated as negative
•••
No or little material-12
...
...
Blood for Widal Test
...
...
...
...
...
...
..
Do. Malarial parasites
...
...
...
...
...
...
Do. Malta Fever
...
...
...
...
...
Do. Kala-Azar
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Do. Lencocytosis, Piroplasmosis Trypanosomes
...
81
102
194
22
1
3
...
1
1,650
392
251
127
3
17
18
•••
1,731
494
445
149
4
20
18
1
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
Tnmours—
Sarcoma—32 ...
...
...
...
...
•••
Carcinoma and Epithelioma-22
...
...
...
...
Others-44
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Rabies
•••
•••
•••
•••
...
...
...
Sputum for Tubercle bacilli
...
...
...
...
...
Water samples before the new quarterly analysis
...
...
...
Cholera-
Water-3
•••
•••
•
•
•
• ••
•••
Stools-13
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Spirochætes—Yaws specimens ...
...
...
...
...
Gonococci (Discharges) •••
..
...
...
...
...
...
Specimens for Pneumococci
...
...
...
Lepræ bacilli
...
...
...
...
...
...
Diphtheria......
...
...
..
...
...
Anthrax...
...
...
...
...
...
Urine for chemical and microscopical examination ...
...
...
Mosquitoes for identification
...
...
...
...
...
...
Animals for post-mortem ...
..
...
...
...
...
...
General experiments, such as, Homam tewigs for pulicidal value-
Surgical dressings for antiseptic value—Disinfectant fluid for
value.
•••
...
38
•••
2
1
10
•••
•••
'•• ...
—
1
64
•••
13
4
37
• ••
...
•.•
•"
98.
1
92
137
15.
5
47
6
4
5
3
In the above table the specimens sent for examination are classified to show (a)
their nature, (b) the object for which they were examined, (c) the result of the
examination—whether positive or negative. This table reveals certain points which it
will be as well to take up serially.
1. Plague in Animals.--These examinations have been undertaken mainly in
connection with disinfection operations against plague. As was to be expected a very
large percentage proved to be negative. The number of failures to detect plague
bacilli was however considerably increased owing to the fact that many slides were
prepared from animals in a more or less advanced state of putrefaction.
A considerable number of such cases might probably have been avoided, if the
importance of doing so had been fully realised. When, in disinfection operations,
a dead animal may have been found it may not always be possible to prepare a film at
once. In such cases the animal should be opened up and placed in a bucket containing
water with 1-2 per cent. of phenyle. On return to head-quarters quite a satisfactory
film may be prepared from a fresh cut surface of the liver or spleen. Under Indian
climatic conditions, and, if no such precautions be taken, it is quite possible for all
plague bacilli to disappear in a few hours before the swarms of putrefactive organisms.