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43
Poliomyelitis.
Five cases of paralytic disease occurred during the year, two in
the winter, one in June, August and September respectively. All
were young infants below school age and the paralyses were distributed
as follows:—
Left leg 3 Right arm 1 Left side of face 1
The cases were mild on the whole and made satisfactory progress.
No relationship to any other cases was discovered in spite of
very intensive enquiries.
No cases of Non-Paralytic disease were reported or discovered
among contacts.
Meningococcal Infections.
There was one case in a baby aged 2 months. Complete recovery
followed.
Typhoid.
In the early part of the year a localised outbreak of Typhoid
Fever occurred in one house which involved eventually 10 persons.
At the end of February information was received from a general
practitioner that 2 persons living in an overcrowded tenement house
were probably suffering from Typhoid Fever. Both persons were
found to be suffering from Typhoid in about the second week of the
disease and to be seriously ill, and were removed to the Park Hospital
immediately, where they were found to be almost moribund. They
responded, however, to treatment with Chloromycetin and recovered
dramatically.
The next day all the other residents in the house were examined
and two were thought to be suffering from Typhoid and were admitted
to hospital (one, a baby, was later discharged it being thought that he
had in fact not suffered). The remainder were transferred to the
Islington Reception House which was kindly put at the disposal of
the Department. They were kept under strict supervision and
systematic blood and stool examinations were made.
In the course of the following ten days six were found to have
either clinical symptoms of Typhoid or to have positive bacteriological
or serological findings and were admitted to hospital. Two of these