7
TABLE II—cont.
Serial
number .
Description of specimens.
Number of
positive
results.
Number of
negative
results.
Total
number.
examined.
Remarks.
6
Blood for Wassermann reaction.
386
391
777
7
Do. malta fever . . .
2
4
6
8
Do. malarial parasites . . .
137
597
734
9
Do.lencocytosis . . .
6
3
9
10
Do. differential count . . .
. . .
. . .
13
11
Do. Kala-Azar . . .
. . .
18
18
12
Do. filaria . . .
. . .
2
2
13
Blood smears for oriental sore.
1
1
2
14
Blood in taurocholate medium
for typhoid.
. . .
12
12
15
Sputum smears for tubercle
bacilli.
10
49
59
16
Discharges for gonococci . . .
18
39
57
Includes 13 indefinite.
17
Specimens for lepra bacilli . . .
2
9
11
18
Stools for cholera vibrios . . .
2
2
4
19
Isolation of typhoid bacillus
from stools and urine.
. . .
2 9
29
20
Specimens for spirochætes
(fœtuses).
14
33
47
21
Specimens for spirochætes
(smears).
6
23
29
22
Diphtheria (swabs) . . .
4
9
13
23
Sputa for pneumococcus . . .
. . .
. . .
6
24
Stools for dysentery amœbae,
ova, etc.
14
29
43
Amœbae 10; ova, etc., 4.
25
Smears for Negri bodies . . .
2
. . .
2
26
Do. diplococci . . .
2
. . .
2
27
Scrapings for tryponema pal-
lidnm.
. . .
1
1
28
Urine for chemical and bacter-
iological examination.
. . .
. . .
21
29
First field dressings for sterility.
1
1
2
30
Do.percen-
tage of mercury.
. . .
. . .
3
31
Disinfectants for determining
the Rideal-Walker co-efficient.
. . .
. . .
4
32
Water for cholera-like vibrios . . .
5
30
35
33
Water for chemical analysis . . .
. . .
. . .
419
34
Water for bacteriological exami-
nation.
. . .
. . .
826
Includes 124 stray samples,
540
samples from experimental filters and
162 from the Madras City Water
supply.
35
Chemical analysis of soap nuts
and acacia concinna as substi-
tutes for soap.
. . .
. . .
2
At the instance of the Surgeon-General,
Madras.
36
Chemical analysis of ground-nut
cake for manurial value.
. . .
. . .
1
37
Chemical analysis of urine . . .
. . .
. . .
2
38
Miscellaneous . . .
. . .
. . .
19
Total . . .
1,218
2,125
4,659
Plaque Human.— There was a slight rise of 4 per cent in the number sent, but
the percentage of positive finds fell from 44 per cent to 39 per cent. The number
of useless specimens of peripheral blood sent for this examination rose from 12 per
cent to 18 per cent. Attention is called to this defective practice year after year
but no improvement seems to result.
There was a rise of 20 per cent in the specimens from animals sent for the
diagnosis of plague and the number of positive finds rose from 32.6 per cent to 46
per cent which is comparable with 1915.
Blood for enteric reaction. —There was a rise of 4 per cent in the number of
bloods sent for Widal's enteric reaction and the number of positive finds also rose
slightly. There was however a fall from 41.5 per cent to 37.4 per cent in the
bloods showing the reaction at the higher dilution of 1 in 96 ; the percentage of
those bloods only giving the reaction at 1 in 32 rose from 21.5 to 26.2.
Blood for paratyphoid A.— No single positive find for this reaction out of 184
cases, and last year there was only one positive at the lower dilution in a similar
number. One positive reaction at 1 in 32 out of a total of 367. It is obvious
that the request for this examination in Madras involves the waste of a great
deal of time, labour and material.