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4 admitted on the third day suffering from haemorrhagic diphtheria.
He had a bull neck and haemorrhages from the throat and subcutaneously.
He died on the seventh day from admission. (3) A
boy of 12 admitted on the alleged second day of nasal and faucial
involvement died on the fourth day after admission.
Concentrated serum is now used in treatment, most patients
receiving it intra-muscularly but the more serious being given at
least some intra-venously. No serum reactions occurred this
year.
Scarlet Fever.
Admissions:—
Number admitted with a diagnosis of scarlet fever 163
Number suffering from scarlet fever 155
Number in whom diagnosis not confirmed 9
Of these 9 cases 4 suffered from German measles, 2 each from
measles and from tonsillitis, and one from septic rash.
Deaths.—Nil.
Complications.—12 patients suffered from cervical adenitis,
11 from rhinorrhœa, 9 from otorrhcea, 9 from relapse, 7 from
albuminuria, 4 from rheumatism and one from a stye.
Seven out of the 56 patients treated with serum developed a
serum rash. One developed a prontosil rash.
Cross Infection.—One patient admitted incubating whooping
cough was removed to the hospital of another authority. Measles
was introduced into a ward on one occasion; prophylactic injections
of the contacts who had not previously suffered from the disease
failed to prevent the development of the attack in those exposed,
though it may have had some influence in ameliorating the severity
of the attack; while it certainly seemed to be instrumental in
prolonging the incubation period of the disease by some two days,
an achievement of course which is not to be desired from an
administrative point of view as it only prolongs the period for
which the ward has to remain in quarantine.
Return Cases.—Return cases were notified from 9 households
to which patients treated in the hospital from scarlet fever returned
on discharge.
Other Diseases.
One case of erysipelas was admitted to the Stanmore Isolation
Hospital, at a time when it proved impossible to find accommodation
elsewhere.