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106
On May 15th, 1905, two swabs, taken from the throats of
Emily Grantham and Dorothy Wilson, aged 6 and 4 years
respectively, who showed clinical symptoms of diphtheria, were
received at the Borough Laboratory from the Lambeth Parochial
Schools for bacteriological examination, and both showed, on
cultivation, the presence of Klebs-Lœffler diphtheria bacilli (that
from Dorothy Wilson showing, with smear preparations,
Vincent's organisms also). These two patients were, consequently,
removed to the Metropolitan Asylums Board
Hospital on May 16th. On the following day (May 17th),
5 other patients, also with clinical symptoms of diphtheria,
were removed to the Metropolitan Asylums Board Hospital
by order of the Guardians' Medical Officer, but in these
5 cases no swabs were taken previous to the patients' removals.
Bacteriological examinations were, however, carried out afterwards
at the Metropolitan Asylums Board Hospital with the
following reported results:—
Name.
David West
Florence Cooper
Florence Cummings
Philip Jones
Kate Hemmings
Age.
6 years
5 years
6 years
6 years
4 years
Result of Examination.
Klebs-Lœffler bacilli.
Klebs-Lœffler bacilli.
Klebs-Lœffler bacilli (modified)
& Vincent'sorganisms.
Vincent's organisms and
? Klebs-Lœffler bacilli.
Vincent's organisms and
? Klebs-Lœffler bacilli
It is probable that, like Dorothy Wilson, Philip Jones and
Kate Hemmings, at the time of their removals to Hospital, had
Klebs-Lœffler bacilli in their throats as well as Vincent's
organisms—the latter being in greater numbers and masking, and
crowding out, in consequence, the former. In any case it is
clear that, clinically, the 5 patients (removed on May 17th)
were suffering from diphtheria, complicated in 3 of the cases
with Vincent's angina or ulcerative stomatitis.
On May 18th Walter Button (11 years) was removed to the
Metropolitan Asylums Board Hospital on the result of a bacteriological
examination, which showed the presence not only of
definite Vincent's organisms but also of indefinite (modified or
involuted) Klebs-Lœffler diphtheria bacilli. At the Hospital, only
Vincent's organisms were found on bacteriological examination,
but the fact that Walter Button afterwards, whilst in Hospital,
developed slight cardiac dilatation (an after-symptom sometimes