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during the past year been carried out in the hospitals of the Metropolitan
Asylums Board.
The second report of the Medical Superintendents of these hospitals
has just been issued. The following is their summary of the still
further improved results in the diphtheria cases treated during the
year 1896, which are indicated by their statistics and clinical
observations:—
(I.) A great reduction in the mortality of cases brought under
treatment on the first three days of illness.
(ii.) The lowering of the combined general mortality to a point
below that of any former year.
(III.) The still more remarkable reduction in the mortality of the
laryngeal cases.
(IV.) The uniform improvement in the results of tracheotomy at
each separate hospital.
(V.) The beneficial effect produced on the clinical course of the
disease.
They again emphasize the importance of commencing the treatment
early—if possible, not later than the second day of the disease.
TYPHUS FEVER.
There was one notification of typhus fever. The patient, F. W.,
aged 48, was removed to the London Homoeopathic Hospital, where he
died. I was kindly allowed to see the patient there, and the postmortem
examination which took place at our Mortuary.
The patient lived with his mother in a small room (at 14, L. Street),
which was crowded with furniture, old bedding, and other household
effects, so that the remaining air space was very small. Ventilation also
was hindered by the crevices of the window sashes being blocked so as
to exclude air.
I could not obtain any information of the occurrence of a previous
case of typhus fever either in this house or in any other house in which
the patient or his mother had resided.
In London there were only 5 deaths from typhus during the year.
TYPHOID FEVER.
The number of cases of typhoid or enteric fever was 29, and in 1895
only 20.