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to 16.6. This mistaken practice is a very obstinate one to get rid of. All persons
employed on plague duty should be distinctly instructed that plague bacilli, except
in certain moribund cases, cannot be detected microscopically in the peripheral
blood. During life, films of gland juice (not peripheral blood from over the
gland, but material drawn from the interior of the gland) in bubonic plague, and
of sputum in suspected pneumonic plague should be sent. From dead bodies of
either human beings or lower animals the films should be prepared from a freshly
cut surface of the spleen or liver.
Plague— ( b ) Animal .—Although the number of specimens sent was more than
double that of last year, the positive results show a decrease.
Widal's reaction.— There was a slight rise in the number of bloods examined
and also a slight rise from 60.3 to 61.5 in the percentage of specimens showing
some positive reaction.
Agglutination test for ( a ) Paratyphoid A .—The number of specimens sent
increased from 133 to 199, but the percentage of specimens showing some positive
reaction fell from 11 to 8.5. No single specimen gave a definite positive reaction
in a dilution of 1 in 96.
( b ) Paratyphoid B.—Here again the number of specimens sent showed a
marked increase and the percentage of specimens showing some positive result fell
from 21 to 18. Only one specimen gave a positive reaction in a dilution of 1 in 96,
and in this case only can we say that there was definite infection with the bacillus
Paratyphosus. B.
Wassermann's reaction.— There was a considerable decline in the number of
bloods sent for this test, but this was due to the fact that specimens from the
Poonamallee-hospital which used to be sent to this institute are, by order, now
sent to Wellington. There was however a large actual and correspondingly
larger percentage increase in the positive results. In the two years these latter
were 263 and 338 with positive percentages of 43.5 and 63.3, respectively. This
large increase in positive findings is probably partly due to an improved method
of carrying out the test. During previous years different methods were compared
for reliability. The most generally reliable in all stages of the disease was the
original one of Wassermann, but next to it, and a fairly close competitor was
Levaditi's modification. It was found that an occasional case was missed or gave
conflicting results with either method. So now a combination of the two has
been adopted as a routine method. During the last quarter of the year some
comparative tests have been made between this combined method and Noguchi's.
modification, but further work in this direction is required.
Malarial parasites.— The number of bloods sent for this examination was
considerably more than doubled, but as the number of positive finds was only
slightly larger, the percentage of positive cases is much smaller. Parasites were
found in 83 cases as compared with 75 last year, the corresponding percentages
being 12.9 and 27.7. Four cases in which parasites could not be detected showed
blood changes generally considered to be associated with malaria. Possibly
in these cases quinine had been given before the specimen was taken. This
procedure which causes the disappearance of the parasites from the peripheral
circulation is a fruitful source of failure to detect the parasite. In all cases of
fever the routine practice of taking a film of the blood, for future reference, if
required, before medicine of any kind has been given is to be strongly recom
-mended.
Leucocytosis.— The number of cases rose from 24 to 110, but here again the
percentage of positive results was much smaller, 29 and 9, respectively.
Tubercle.— These specimens show a slight rise in number but a slight fall in
the percentage of positive finds.
Leprosy.— The numbers remain about the same. A point of interest here
however is that the blood of two out of three negative cases examined gave a
positive Wassermann reaction. In many early cases of leprosy it is not possible to
demonstrate the bacillus, but if it is found that the Wassermann reaction can be
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