-M 112-
The grouping shows a striking similarity to that of 1932-3, and it seems justified to combine the two series and thus obtain a composite picture of the incidence of the various types in Hong Kong. This is shown on the right of the table above.
(c) Gonococcus vaccine.-A new and simple culture medium for the growth of the gonococcus for vaccine making is now in use and is proving a great boon; it consists essentially of an ordinary meat extract blood agar, but with two important differences; firstly, the agar base is adjusted to a pH of 7.8, and secondly, the sheep's blood is added directly as drawn without the addition of citrate, in a concentration of 5%. The yield obtained from the use of this medium is something like one third as great again as compared with the testicular extract blood agar previously used. The agar base has the added advantage of being made according to the formula of our routine agar medium and is therefore cheap and readily available.
(d) Diphtheria. The use of the tellurite-Loeffler medium for the isolation of the Klebs-Loeffler bacillus was continued in 1935, and we now have had two years' experience with its use in parallel with plain Loeffler. As a result of this extended use, it has been decided that it is advisable to use both media routinely in parallel on all cases. Our records show that in 11 instances the plain medium missed cases which were positive on the tellurite medium, while in 31 instances the tellurite medium missed cases giving a growth on plain Loeffler. This would seem to show a lack of sensitiveness on the part of the tellurite medium but we are not quite satisfied on the point, and it is still being investigated. In any case, the use of both media seems advisable.
(5) General.-The summary of the tests performed speaks for itself regarding the increased use being made of the services of the Institute, the total number of examinations carried out again constituting a record. A good percentage of the increase is due to the enlargement of the activities of the Venereal Diseases Clinics, which send us an ever-increasing number of sera; also to the larger number of blood films sent for the diagnosis of malaria, the latter not being due to any increase in the incidence of the disease so much as to the more healthy sign, namely, a lessened resort to the pernicious diagnosis of "clinical malaria”.
The work of the staff was highly satisfactory. During the absence of the writer on long leave in 1934 and also during Dr. R. S. Begbie's absence for the greater part of 1935, much added work and responsibility fell on the shoulders of the Chief Laboratory Assistant, Mr. K. T. Leung, whose experience and sound knowledge proved of the greatest value.