176
ANNEXURE Q.
Annual Report-Pathological Institute.
(1) Introductory.
The year's activities were characterized by expansion of routine work in an endeavour to meet the demands of a greatly increased population, and by a very much larger vaccine output, which has now far outgrown the facilities provided forty-five years ago when the Institute was originally built. However, supplies of water, gas, light and power were all over- hauled by the authorities respectively concerned, and by the end of the year these were found to be much improved. Losses due to sickness among animals and contamination of vaccine batches occurred from time to time, but in spite of these and other difficulties the vaccine stocks were maintained at figures beyond all likely requirements, and in November a start was made in the production of lapinised rinderpest virus vaccine. The greatest demand was no doubt occasioned by an outbreak of rabies, fortunately restricted to the mainland, which was respon- sible for no less than twenty human deaths. Storage space for vaccines was helped considerably by the acquisition of a 100 cu. ft. refrigerator.
At the Kowloon branch, which is assuming increasing importance, fluorescent lighting was installed and refrigeration space was doubled; whilst at the Kowloon Mortuary the con- struction of a much needed refrigeration chamber and the installation of air conditioning were well in hand by April 1950. The Queen Mary laboratory is still cramped for space, but other- wise continues to be a useful and necessary unit of the hospital.
Experiments with the treatment of nightsoil, com- menced in 1948, continued to give interesting results, and it was found that neither 3% ammonium sulphate nor 10% calcium sulphate was able to render the nightsoil mixture relatively safe as regards ova of hookworm and other helminths in a period of three weeks.
Other minor items of some interest include the dis- covery of a typhoid carrier in Stanley Prison; a bacillary dysen- tery carrier in the Sai Ying Pun Hospital; the isolation of Cl. tetani from two powders useh for dressing the umbilical cord in two fatal cases of tetanus neonatorum; and the fact that amoebic dysentery, formerly recorded infrequently in the Colony, has now become a comparatively common disease.
177
Additions to the library included the following:-
Brucellosis
Guide to Human Parasitology,
Clinical Parasitology
Principles of Bacteriology
& Immunity
Atlas of Bacteriology
Gould's Medical Dictionary Histopathologic Techaic
Huddleston. Blacklock & Southwell,
Craig & Faust.
Wilson & Miles. Low & Dodds.
Blakiston. ...................... Lillie.
Staff changes-Mr. W. T. Liu joined the staff in October. Following the resignation of Dr. K. T. Loke, pathologist, in January 1950, Dr. G. B. Smart was transferred from health duties to the Institute. In February, Dr. C. C. Lin was taken on to supervise activities in Kowloon during the absence of Dr. Alvares under medical treatment, and Messrs H. Y. Li and W. K. Yan were engaged to fill vacancies in the grade of Laboratory assistant, one of which was created by the resignation of Mr. K. S. Wong.
Cordial relations were maintained with colleagues in Services laboratories, and the University Department of Pathology
(2) Protozoology and Helminthology.
2. Blood films for malaria-Four thousand one hundred and thirty-six films were examined for parasites of malaria. Classification of types found and negative findings are shown in the table below. Positive findings are nearly 40% less than last year, though the total examined was approximately 20% fewer.
N. B. The figures in the following tables include those of the Kowloon and Queen Mary Hospital branches. Allocation of work performed is shown separately in the summary at the end of this report.
Bloods Examined for Malaria.
Sub-tertian... Benign-tertian
TABLE I.
Non-
Chinese Chinese
Total
ANA
+
200
6
206
195
13
203
53
www
1
54
20
20
10
1
11
Negative
3,439
198
3,687
Grand total
3,917
219
4,136
Quartan Unclassified
(type undetermined) Multiple infection
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.