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When the writer was on leave during the year the opportunity was seized to study the methods of vaccine production pursued by the Connaught Laboratories of the University of Toronto. Much of interest was learned and it is hoped to adopt some of their methods. A trial in a small way at the close of the year was most encouraging. Especially is it hoped to be able to utilize cow-calves instead of buffalo-calves, which are expensive and must be imported. Reference has been made in a previous paragraph to the necessity for an operating room in which the calves may be vaccinated and scraped. The present method of working in the open yard is a most undesirable procedure.
The new lymph grinder is a most successful piece of apparatus; it performs as much work in two hours as the old machine did in about as many days. Rapid grinding taken in conjunction with greatly improved yield per calf removes the necessity of our keeping such large stocks of lymph as we have in the past. This will result in fresher lymph with less likelihood of loss of potency through age.
E. PREPARATION OF VACCINES AND SERA.
(1) Anti-meningococcus serum.-Owing to the continued steady demand for serum it was found necessary to purchase a supply from a proprietary house in order to supplement our own. This event was foreshadowed in last year's annual report as it was quite evident that the wider use of serum in the Colony and the larger dosage being employed would outrun our production. From the middle of the year another pony was added to our stock and has been used for the production of serum since. It is hoped that in future the supply will be more nearly capable of taking care of the demand.
The amount of serum issued from our own stocks was 14,050 c.c.
(2) Gonococcus vaccine.-The amount issued was 5,580 c.c. This is again heavily in excess of any previous annual production.
(3) Anti-rabic vaccine.-Owing to an outbreak of canine rabies in the New Territories during the summer the demand for anti-rabic vaccine was heavy.
The total number of cases treated was 403, and the total number of doses issued 4,369, constituting a record which we hope will not soon again be reached. Sixty-four brains were examined for the presence of Negri bodies and of these fourteen were positive.