Report of the Health Officer, Corporation of Madras Health Department.

  • Madras (India). Health Department
Date:
[1940]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Health Officer, Corporation of Madras Health Department. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    56/198 (page 34)
    was dusted to prevent the breeding of anopheline larvae. These measures taken by the staff helped a great, deal to control the mosquito nuisance from the Cooum river and the Buckingham canal. Loio-lands :—In addition to the reclamation of 20 ponds during the year, portions of low-lands next to Record Office, near Conran Smith Nagar, in Perambore tank, next to the slaughter houses and at the Mylapore burial ground were also reclaimed. Malaria cases treated in Corporation dispensaries :—During the year 8,933 malaria cases were treated in the several Corporation dispensaries as against 6,521 in 1939 and 17,697 in 1936 when the anti-malarial operations were commenced. Cases of enlarged spleen among Corporation school children :— During the school year 1940-41, the medical inspection staff attached to the Corporation schools detected 9 cases of enlarged spleen due to malaria among the children attending Corporation schools as against 27 cases in the previous year and 118 cases at the commencement of the anti- malarial operations in 1936. These 9 cases were found among the children attending the Corporation schools in the northern range of the city as compared with 24 cases in 1939 and 100 cases at the commencement of the operations. The spleen rates among the children attending Corporation schools for 12 years from 1929-30 are given below :— Year. No. of children examined. No. of children with enlarged spleen. Spleen ] 1929-30 21,113 371 1*8% 1930-31 25,342 327 1-3% 1931-32 28,342 133' 0*5% 1932-33 27,506 96 0*4% 1933-34 28,578 274 1*0% 1934^35 29,737 229 0-8% 1935-36 30,705 173 0’6% 1936-37 29,376 118 0*4% 1937-38 31,187 49 0-2% 1938-39 30,352 38 0T3°/o 1939-40 29,142 27 0*09% 1940-41 29,083 9 0*03% The spleen rates above would show the utility of the anti-malarial operations. A close study of the return of positive malarial cases from hospitals and dispensaries in the city for paying particular attention to those divisions wherefrom cases are reported, the periodical inspection of the breeding places of anopheles stephensi and the preventive measures taken by the staff to control the breeding have all contributed to the effective control of mosquito breeding in general and of the malaria carriers in particular in the city. MEDICAL INSPECTION OF CORPORATION SCHOOLS, 1940-41 Staff:—4 Medical Inspectors and 2 Medical Inspectresses continued to be in charge of the work during the year. Two honorary medical officers were appointed in June 1940 to treat ear, nose and throat complaints of the school children. They attended the dispensaries at Chintradripet and Mint Street and treated the children suffering from the above mentioned complaints.