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All except the negative cases received protective injections and only
a very few failed to complete the treatment. A rather larger number of
children were treated without the test than in previous years. Two
children, aged respectively 3 months and 4| months were treated and
showed no sign of discomfort. Reactions occur in a small proportion
of cases, especially among the older children, but these are always transient
and have never been serious.
Retests are performed in about 60 per cent, of the cases, with the object
of determining whether the desired protection has been obtained. In 99
cases out of 105 the result was negative. The remaining 6 were positive
and received further treatment. The importance of this further treatment
where complete protection has not been obtained was emphasized by two
old cases during the year. These had shown slightly positive results on
retest but were not, for one reason or another, given further treatment
and both had slight attacks of Diphtheria in 1930. Parents are not always
willing to continue treatment in the few cases which do not obtain sufficient
protection from the first course, but it is very important that they should
do so. It must be fully realized that there is a small proportion of cases
where immunisation is more difficult to achieve, and these cases require
particular attention.
Antitoxin, for use in cases of diphtheria, is provided free of charge
for medical practitioners attending patients residing in the City. The
supply is available on application at the City Hall and at the Council's
Mortuary in Horseferry Road. It is apparent from the small amount
used (12 bulbs, each containing 8,000 units) that practitioners prefer
to send their patients at once into the fever hospitals, where antitoxin
is administered on admission to all cases of clinical diphtheria. In
times of epidemic, however, when the capacity of the fever hospitals is
greatly taxed, there tends to be delay in admitting cases, and it is then
that practitioners make full use of the antitoxin supplied by the Council.