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The emulsion recommended for use is emulsion A which can be made in bulk in the
following manner :—
Formula for making Emulsion A.—To each four cakes of sliced sunlight soap add half a
gallon of water and boil until all the soap is dissolved.
Pour half a gallon of the solution still hot into an open tub tilted to allow the fluid to be
beaten up with a cocoanut spoon such as in general use by natives. Whilst stirring or beat-
ling up add oil point by point at intervals of about a minute seeing that all trace of free oil is
absorbed into the frothy mass before fresh oil is added. After the addition of about three
allons go very carefully. If properly done one half gallon of soap solution should emulsify
a whole tin of kerosine containing four gallons. The only error likely to be made in the first
attempt is that from inefficient stirring or too quick addition of the oil premature over satura-
t i o n s h o u l d o c c u r a f a c t w h i c h i s a t o n c e a p p a r e n t t o t h e m a k e r . T o m a k e o n e b r e w o f f o u r
gallons takes about half an hour. It would be desirable to have a couple of coolies to each tub
to take turn about at stirring and pouring the oil. Each couple of coolies should turn out at
the very least four brews per diem ; in actual practice they will probably be able to turn out
m u c h m o r e .
The cost of Emulsion A works out as follows :—
RS. A. P .
Cheapest oil of yellow colour, 4 gallons (1 tin)
. .
. .
. .
1 8 0
Soap, 4 cakes of sunlight soap
.
. .
. .
. .
. .
0 5 0
Labour
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
0 2 0
Cost of firewood, etc., say,
. .
. .
. .
. .
. .
0 1 0
making 41 gallons at
2 0 0
or under Rs. 0-8-0 per gallon.
The emulsion would be best turned out from some central source where the product could
be guaranteed, but there is no reason why any one should not produce this substance locally if
r e q u i r e d . I f m a d e a t h e a d - q u a r t e r s t h e r e i s , o f c o u r s e , t h e c o s t o f d i s t r i b u t i o n t o b e c o n s i d e r e d ,
but on the other hand this has probably to be paid in the extra price of oil in the mofussil. It
is also probable that the cheaper kinds of tank oil may not be available in distant places and
the superior kinds of oil besides being much more expensive may not be so effective.
In cases where it is found impossible to get the prepared emulsion or even sunlight soap for
making this the following two formulæ for making emulsion with country soap and golden bar
soap can on emergency be used. But the use of country soap is not recommended ; it will
necessarily make the solid emulsion which requires more care in manufacture than emulsion
A and an excessive quantity of alkali in the soap may at any time give rise to difficulty, the
emulsion being liable to become curdy and not to mix well with water. The " Golden bar "
formula is the better of the two.
Formula for emergent use only when sunlight or other good cheap soap not available:—
(a) (a)To half gallon water add 1 viss country soap, and boil until this is dissolved
.
(b)
To half gallon the resulting solution add oil as in emulsion A beating up vigorously
between the additions. After the addition of two gallons over saturation will lie quickly reached.
(c)
(b)To half gallon water add 2 bars Golden bar soap and boil until dissolved. Proceed
as above but add 2½ gallons oil.
The addition at which emulsion A should be used requires some consideration. There is
every reason to believe that a 1 in 25 dilution would be estremely effective but to ensure
absolute certainty it would be better as the cost is so small to employ a 1 in 10 dilution. In this
strength no flea touched with the fluid appears to have a chance of escape.
No. II.
No. III.
REPORT ON MALARIAL FEVER PREVALENT IN THE VILLAGES UN THE
BUCKINGHAM CANAL.
By Assistant Surgeon T. SEETHAPATHY ITER, L.M.S., and
INTRODUCTION.
Consequent on a report from the Hospital Assistant, Pulicat, that places along the
Buckingham Canal are highly feverish, the District Medical and Sanitary Officer deputed one
of us to visit the villages along the canal to the north of Madras with a view to investigate the
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