Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia.

  • Southern Rhodesia. Department of Health.
Date:
[1924]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    35/70 (page 27)
    These figures for places outside Salisbury, though improved, are not yet satisfactory. Many specimens cannot travel through the post, of course, but there is no reason why outside doctors should not make more use, through this laboratory, of modern methods of diagnosis and treatment. The following table shows the methods employed :— 1923. 1924. Bacteriological and Protozoological— Microscopical examinations . 577 705 Agglutination tests. 147 237 Preparation of vaccines. 67 75 Decomplementising serum. 51 5 Sigma re-action. 52 67 Cultural examinations. 201 145 Examinations of water supplies. 9 37 Antiseptic co-efficients. 26 Biologic tests. 1 3 Helminthological— Microscopical examinations . 76 84 Entomological— Identification of insects . 1 2 Miscellaneous— Preparation of rat specimens. ... 88 Pathological— Microscopical examinations. 113 151 Sections of tumours, etc. 25 61 Chemical— Tests. 33 26 Quantitative estimations . 47 14 Biologic tests. Medico-Legal— Microscopical or chemical tests . 28 11 Biologic tests. 2 3 1,456 1,714 II.—Remarks on Diseases, etc., Dealt with. A. Blackwater Fever.—Unfortunately no research investigator could be sent out from England, and our own experiments on haemolysis could not be continued for the reasons already given, but a fresh start will now be made both by our new research investigator and by ourselves. B. Malaria.—Three hundred and sixty-two examinations were made, with 38 positive results (33 malignant tertian distributed through¬ out the year, 2 benign tertian in June and August, and 3 quartan in January and December). It will be seen how often a single blood smear was negative, although many of the above cases were probably malarial (but with parasites too scanty to show up in a single smear). In negative cases a differential count is made, or further smears examined till a result is obtained, but it is obvious that some improvement on the single¬ smear method is desirable.