REPORT OF THE KING INSTITUTE, GUINDY
15
The second experiment was more in the nature of a continuous control over
the quality of the lymph issued from the Institute. A small quantity from each
batch of lanolinated vaccine has been sent to the Vaccination department of the
Madras Corporation whose vaccinators have tested its efficacy on a varying number
of cases as opportunity offered. Twenty-three batches of vaccine have been tested
in this way during the year under report. The results which have been obtained
have been compared with the returns sent in by the District Board and Municipal
vaccinators. While the number of cases operated on by the Madras Corporation
vaccinators is too small to justify the striking of a percentage rate of success for
each individual batch, the total number of operations performed is sufficient to
permit of a comparison being made between the Corporation and District results.
The former shows 117 successes and 9 failures or 92.8 per cent of success, the
latter 43,704 successes and 6,782 failures or a success rate of 86.5 per cent. The
comparison is therefore 6.3 per cent in favour of the Corporation. In order to
demonstrate that the conditions of experiment were substantially the same in both
cases, certain details with regard to storage of vaccine and the time of use after
manufacture are given in Table XIII.
TABLE XIII.
Supplies made to Local Fund vaccinators.
Average number of
days after manu-
facture the issue was
made.
37 to 46
Average number of
days after manu-
facture the vaccine
was used.
39 to 58
Supplies made to the Madras Corporation.
Average number of
days after manu-
facture the issue
was made.
30
Average number of
days after manu-
facture the vaccine
was used.
32
This table shows the time of storage in the two cases did not differ to any
great extent. After issue, however, the difference in the time which elapsed
before the lymph was used is greater. The lymph sent to the Corporation was
used within two days of its dispatch; that to the districts remained unused at
times for as much as twelve days.
Results obtained from outside sources are always of value as corroborative
evidence in a question of this nature.
During the year under review the Medical Officer, Berbera, was supplied with
about 17,000 cases of lymph taken indiscriminately from the different batches
prepared at the Institute. He reports upon its efficacy as follows :—" We have
had most excellent results with the vaccine from your Institute."
In view of the facts which have been brought forward it would appear that
the vaccine at the time of issue from the Institute is of good quality and that
variations in the amount of success following its use must be due to adverse
factors operating after the lymph has been dispatched to its destination. Many
of these are at present undetermined, but delays in transit, undue or prolonged
exposure to heat, and delay in use after receipt must all bear a part in preventing
the best results from being obtained.
TABLE XIV.
Statement showing the average yield of pulp per calf according to the months of the year 1918.
Serial
number.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Months.
January... ... ... ...
February... ... ...
...
March... ... ... ...
April... ... ... ...
May... ... ... ...
June... ... ... ...
July..
...
...
...
August... ... ... ...
September... ... ... ...
October... ... ... ...
November
...
...
December... ... ... ...
Grammes.
Average.
6.4
4.5
4.9
4.9
5.2
3.9
5.2
5.4
5.4
5.6
5.9
5.5
Maximum.
16.7
13.0
16.8
11.8
12.5
8.0
11.0
18.5
17.2
12.0
14.8
15.0
Minimum.
2.5
1.0
1.1
1.3
1.0
1.0
1.1
1.0
1.5
1.5
1.0
1.7
Average yield of
lymph per calf
during 1918.
5.31 grammes.