Page:The Indian Journal of Medical Research, 1920.djvu/34

236 The Vaccine Institute, Betgaum. by the head and introduces it into the vial and passes the corked vial on to a third Assistant who dips the cork and head of the tube in melted paraffin. The vial is then placed in a copper box with perforated false bottom and this box is pushed in gradually into a special metal box like a drawer (D). This metal box contains crushed ice. So the vials are always kept cold. These vials, containing 1/2 c.c, lymph, are issued as sufficient for 10 primary vaccinations, each child under one year receiving two insertions on each arm. Above one year, three insertions on one arm and two on the other is the rule with Government vaccinators. In the case of re- vaccinations, three insertions are given on one arm only. Capillary tubes were tried by Hutchinson but given up, as it was found that lymph did not retain its potency as well in capillary tubes, owing to the lymph being more exposed to the effect of temperature in the capillary tube.

The vials are now ready for packing for despatch through the post. Each vial is put into a rectangular piece of wood which has a hole bored in its long axis from one end, large enough to receive the vial. A piece of wool is placed at the bottom of the cavity of the wooden case, the vial is dropped in and the case is corked. The wooden cases containing the vials are packed in stout cardboard shding boxes, each box large enough to contain four wooden cases. Along with the wooden cases a result statement form is packed in the cardboard box. The cardboard box is now placed in a large envelope, made of reinforced paper, and tied with string. The packet is then stamped and is ready for posting. A sub-post office, on the Institute premises, receives the packets. The result statement is returned to the Institute by the vaccinator correctly filled up and showmg the insertion and case success. Cardboard boxes, wooden cases, and empty vials are also returned to the Institute.

While describing the method of despatch, something must be said regarding the difficulties which were encountered in dealing with Sind. Owing to the long distance of Sind from Belgaum, postal packets requiring a minimum of four days and maximum of nine to ten days to reach their destination in the Sind districts, together with the intense heat encountered on the railway journey from Bombay to Sind, in passing through the sandy tracts of that part of India, and the very high temperature recorded in Sind itself, it was felt that, under such adverse conditions, it would be asking too much of the keeping