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52
There are about 320 children in the various buildings
comprising this Institution. The first two cases
occurred on the 12th of November last, but were not
diagnosed as diphtheria until the following day
(Sunday); the cases were removed to hospital at once,
but both died, one on the day of removal and the other
nine days afterwards.
Anti-toxin was not injected before removal as Dr.
Tunstall, the Medical Officer to the Institution, was
unaware that the serum could be obtained from the
Public Health Office on Sunday, and he had none of
his own. In all ten cases were reported and removed
to hospital, where all except the first two recovered.
I inspected the whole buildings of the Home with
Dr. Tunstall; the drains were tested and flushed, the
milk supplied to the Institution was subjected to repeated
chemical and bacteriological Examination with
a negative result, and every effort was made to trace
the source of the epidemic, but without success.
Possibly the germs of the disease were introduced by
some "carrier" child, suffering from "Bacteriological
Diphtheria" without symptoms, who visited the Institution
on the rainy 3rd of November, referred to in
Dr. Tunstall's report, a copy of which is printed
below:—