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105
notification was received on the 16th May, the notification certificate
stating, in addition, that the Diplococcus Meningitidis Intracellularis
had been found post mortem. On enquiries being made
at the house from which the child had been removed to hospital,
it was ascertained that it was a nurse child, and had been taken
to the doctor on the 3rd April. On the 10th April it was removed
to the Victoria Children's Hospital, and died there on the 12th
May.
The woman who had been entrusted with the care of the child
had only had it since the 20th February. She stated that its illness
dated from about the 20th March, the symptoms noted being
diarrhoea sickness and "crying a good deal."
The father's occupation was given as a labourer.
No previous case of illness had occurred at the house at which
the child had been put out to nurse, and from which it had
subsequently been removed to hospital, the sanitary condition of
the premises being fairly satisfactory.
2. H. E. B—, aged 1 year, was admitted to the Victoria
Children's Hospital on the 3rd December from an address in Rollo
Street, where he died on the 7th December. The case was notified
on the 8th December. As a result of enquiries made at the home
in Rollo Street, it was ascertained that the patient, the son of a
labourer, was first taken ill on the 2nd December.
On communicating with the hospital authorities, the following
information as to the history of the case was obtained. The
child had been ill five days, and was brought to hospital on the
second day of its illness (December 3rd). He was a pale, flabby,
ricketty child, and at the time of his admission was feverish and
restless (temperature 102, pulse 130, respirations 42).
There were no definite symptoms until the 4th, when the restlessness
increased greatly, and it was noticed that he had some
retraction of the head, and vomited four or five times during the
day. The retraction became more marked, and the knee-jerks
greatly exaggerated.