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75
Discovery.—Mild cases of indisposition or disease excite
no particular attention, or are attributed to other than the real
cause by parents, guardians, or friends, and are not submitted
to medical examination. In the autumn there are generally
several instances of parents and guardians failing to recognise
as infectious cases slight disturbances of health in children
until other children become infected and develop typical
symptoms.
When cases of suspected infectious diseases occur there
is sometimes considerable difficulty and delay in making an
exact medical diagnosis in certain types of the diseases. Here
bacteriological and additional clinical examinations are brought
to bear upon doubtful types, and to check or confirm the
diagnosis.
Special short arrangements for the bacteriological examination
and reports upon doubtful cases were made by the
Council with the Clinical Research Association of Watergate
House, Adelphi, W.C. ; but we hope to do all bacteriological
work at our own laboratory.
The number of specimens of secretion, blood and sputum
submitted to bacteriological tests during the year in suspected
cases of Diphtheria, Typhoid or Enteric Fever, and Tuberculosis,
and the results of examination, were as follow:—
Bacillus
found.
Doubtful.
Bacillus
not found.
Total.
Diphtheria (Secretion)
71
4
238
313
Reaction
obtained.
Doubtful.
Reaction
not
obtained,
Total.
Typhoid (Blood)
0
2
8
10
Bacillus
found.
Doubtful.
Bacillus
not found.
Total.
Tuberculosis (Sputum)
35
5
88
128