Sessional_Paper_1890 — Page 349

Table shewing the Admissions and Mortality in the Government Small-pox Hospital during the year 1889.

Admissions.

Deaths.

345

DISEASE.

Europeans.

Indians.

Chinese.

Total.

Europeans.

Indians.

Chinese.

Total.

Small-pox......

12

5

2

R

19

:

:

:

In three of these the patients were found to be suffering from diseases other than Small-pox, two being cases of Rötheln and the other one of Lichen. These were all vaccinated and did not contract Small-pox.

VACCINATIONS.

220 vaccinations have been performed, fifteen of these were unsuccessful.

CALF-LYMPH CULTIVATION.

During the past year certain experiments have been carried on by the Colonial Veterinary Sur- geon with reference to the cultivation of calf-lymph in the Colony. The results obtained were highly satisfactory.

I reported to the Colonial Surgeon on these experiments on the 21st May. C.S.O No. 1833. These demonstrate conclusively that calf-lymph can be cultivated locally and I recommend that a Calf-lymph Station be established, up to this we have been dependent upon England, America, Japan, and Australia for our vaccine lymph; it is unnecessary for me to point out the advantages of a constant supply of lymph being maintained locally.

Appendix D.

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE BLOOD AND SPLEEN OF CASES OF MALARIAL FEVER.

With regard to the intimate nature of malaria there is very little positively known.

Professors CRUDELI and KLEBS have described certain microscopic fungi met with by them in the Agro Romana, which they obtained from the lower stratum of the atmosphere, the soil and stagnant water-these when injected into rabbits produced a febrile disorder analogous to intermittent fever (KLEBS and TOMMASI CRUDELI, Archiv. f. Experimental Pathology 1879). Other observers in different parts of the world have discovered in the blood of patients suffering from malaria the presence of certain micro-parasites more especially LAVERAN, MARCHIAFAVA, and CELLI, Dr. OSLER of Philadelphia and of later years Dr. VANDYKE CARTER of Bombay.

In November of last year I made from the spleen of a patient who had died of remittent fever a microscopic preparation of the fresh pulp-prepared by taking some of the splenic pulp and treating it as one would the sputum of a phthisical patient in order to detect the tubercle bacilli-the staining agent used being rosaniline.

This showed distinctly with a Zeiss Immersion lens O. 4. certain micro-organisms in the splenic corpuscles of the nature of diplococci-these taking the staining re-agent well.

I also during the summer months made frequent microscopic examinations of the blood of patients suffering from malarial fever, e. g. :-

1 12

On September 14th at 9.10 P.M. a drop of blood was taken from the finger of a patient who was suffering from intermittent fever in the paroxysmal stage, temperature 105° F. and examined with a Zeiss E obj., 0 4. and with the Immersion lens, at first the blood looked perfectly normal at 9.20 P.M. the red corpuscles were found to be loaded with granules and here and there some large pigmented corpuscles with distinct motile filaments or flagella attached could be seen, at 925 P.M. a slight constriction was observed at the base of one of these flagella some of the granules could then be seen in the serum outside the corpuscles, at 10.30 P.M. the flagellum had become detached and at its side were seen some minute bodies (? sporules), at other times distinct motile filaments were seen moving about freely in the serum, whether these were detached flagella or not I cannot say.

These large pigmented bodies with flagella attached appear to be more of the nature of amoebo (micro-parasites).

I frequently repeated these experiments and always with the same result-if the blood was examined in the period of intermission none of these granules or pigmented bodies with flagella could be seen.

These observations are in themselves inconclusive but as they substantiate facts observed by others I thought them worthy of record-in future years I hope to be able to devote more time to this interesting study.

J. M. ATKINSON.