REPORT ON THE WORK CARRIED OUT IN THE MICRO—BIOLOGICAL
SECTION OF THE KING INSTITUTE OF PREVENTIVE MEDICINE,
GUINDY, FOR THE YEAR 1911.
There were several changes in the staff of the section this year.
Owing to the increasing demand for therapeutic vaccines the work of preparing
these began to grow beyond the resources of the staff, and the sanction of Govern-
- m e n t w a s o b t a i n e d t o t h e s t r e n g t h e n i n g o f t h e s t a f f b y a n o f f i c e r w h o s h o u l d d e v o t e
his time to this branch of work. The officer selected was Civil Assistant Surgeon .
M. Kesava Pai, M.D., who joined on the 27th March 1911.
On the 14th of April, the Director, Dr. F. Maitland Gibson, proceeded to
England on combined leave, and Captain W. S. Patton, I.M.S., was gazette to the
acting appointment, which he held during the remainder of the year under report.
On the 24th of June 1911, Captain F. W. Cragg, I.M.S., joined the Institute
in the capacity of Acting Assistant Director, which post he was still holding at the
end of the year.
A great deal of work has been carried through in the section. Captain Patton
continued his investigation on the etiology of Oriental Sore or Cambay Boil, and
with the experience gained in this investigation has been able to advance a stage
farther in the corresponding experiments with the parasite of Kala-Azar. Captain
Patton has furnished a short abstract of this interesting work for incorporation in
this report.
A new feature is furnished by the work of Captain Cragg on the structure of
the proboscis of Philaematomyia insignis, a short account of which is given later.
This work throws an interesting light on the structural alterations which take place
in flies as they assume a parasitic habit.
The systematic examination of the water-supplies of the Presidency was
continued on the same lines as last year. An even larger number of samples were
examined, and the rise in the number of chemical examinations amounted to seven-
- t e e n p e r c e n t . A s i n p r e v i o u s y e a r s t h e s e r e s u l t s a r e p r i n t e d i n t h e f o r m o f
appendices to this report. The results got with Jail waters forming Appendix I,
Parts 1 and 2, and those got with Municipal water-supplies Appendix II, Parts 1, 2,
3 and 4. Some scepticism has been expressed as to the practical value of these
examinations. As opportunity offers a critical analysis will be made of the
r e s u l t s s o
f o r
o b t a i n e d , w i t h t h e v i e w o f s h o w i n g w h e t h e r t h i s s c e p t i c i s m i s j u s t i f i e d . V e r y
varying results are reported from different countries in. the tropics, and it has been
questioned whether it is practicable to formulate standards of purity for tropical
water-supplies.
There has been a drop of 11·5 per cent. in the number of specimens sent for
examination. Main decreases are noticed under the headings of plague in animals,
malarial parasites and leucocytosis with differential counts. The fall under these
headings is so great as to mask considerable rises under other headings, e.g., Plague—
Human. Table No. I is arranged to show the nature of the material sent, the
examination required, the result positive or negative and the number of each kind.