IV.—REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE PUNJAB MALARIA BUREAU.
In submitting this report it is necessary to give a resume of the work
done by the Punjab Malaria Bureau. Owing to the outbreak of war the ap-
pointment of the Chief Malaria Medical Officer, which passed through the
hands of various officers in rapid succession in 1914, experienced yet another
change by the transfer of Lieutenant-Colonel D. T. Lane to the Civil Surgeoncy
of Ambala on 24th September : since that date it has become merged in the
other appointments held temporarily by the Inspector-General of Civil Hospi-
tals, Punjab.
There were changes in the subordinate staff which handicapped the
work of the Bureau for some months. Malaria surveys of Thanesar, Montgo-
mery, Mianwali, Gujranwala and Lyallpur were undertaken, and the local con-
ditions of these towns studied throughout the whole of the year.
Some investigations in connection with the effect of certain aromatic
plants on anopheles were made, but no definite information has been elicited ;
though some made on the action of the fumes of chemical agents showed that
the smoke of saponified cresol was a very deadly culicide. Some examination
was made into the local conditions with regard to malaria in the town and
civil station of Ambala, larval and adult surveys were carried out, the various
breading grounds noted and recommendations in connection with them were
made to the local authorities. Some thousands of anopheles were dissected
with a view to discovering the local carriers of malaria in places under survey.
Hundreds of A. Rossi were dissected in the hope of finding zygotes and
sporozoits in the stomach and salivary glands, but without success. More
dissections will be carried out next autumn.
The survey of Lahore which was taken up early in the year had to be
discontinued for various reasons.
The spleen census of school children (under 10 years) in the Punjab was
again carried out in June and November 1915. The results are shown in the
maps IV and V of Appendix C. The spleen census before and after the fever
season gives a fair idea of limited epidemics in small localities.
The comparison of spleen census maps for 1914 and 1915 (vide Ap-
pendix C) gives a fair idea as to what are the endemic centres in the Province.
This information if made continuously available will be of the utmost value.
A leaflet has been written on malaria, and will be shortly submitted to the
Inspector-General of Civil Hospitals, Punjab.
A correspondence is going on with the Director of Public Instruction,
Punjab, and his attention is being drawn to the proposal to provide all schools
with test tubes exhibiting mosquitoes for the purpose of providing the
means of practically demonstrating the difference between the different
kinds.
V.—ANTI-MALARIAL MEASURES.
Except for a few laboratory experiments, no anti-malaria measures
have been carried out during the year under review.
It was found that anopheles larvæ were destroyed readily by a weak
solution of saponified cresol in fire-buckets and in small puddles and collections
of water in the neighbourhood of houses ; but nymphs showed considerable re-
sisting power—24 minutes' exposure before they were killed.
Assistant Surgeon Bawa Harnam Singh Bhalla has been in charge of the
laboratory throughout the year. Lieutenant-Colonel Lane was very pleased
with his work while he held the appointment of Chief Malaria Medical Officer,
Punjab, and since I took over I have been much indebted to him for his
very effective help both in connection with the laboratory and field work.
Sub-Assistant Surgeons Abdul Ghaffar and Ghulam Mohy-ud-Din have
worked well throughout the year in the laboratory—the former, on account of
his good work was promoted to the 3rd grade without examination. The
Laboratory Assistants Daulat Ram and Abdul Razaq have done useful work,
and the clerical establishment has given satisfaction.
H. HENDLEY, M.D., COLONEL, I.M.S,
Chief Malaria Medical Officer, Punjab