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16
suffering from diphtheritic disease, thus reducing the genuine cases
to 351. This is a decrease of 4 upon the number of cases occurring
during 1916.
There were 333 cases of diphtheria and 3 of membranous
croup removed to hospital during 1916. This is equal to 80 per cent
of the cases notified.
The attack rate for diphtheria is 1.6 per 1,000 living. The
deaths from diphtheritic disease numbered 23. This is equal to a
mortality rate of 6.4 per cent. attacked and 11 per 1,000 living.
During the year 415 swabbings from throats of persons suspected
to be suffering from diphtheria were bacteriologically
examined, 68 of which gave positive results, 342 negative results
and 5 were doubtful.
Diphtheria Anti-toxin Order.—In accordance with the above
order 5 bottles of anti-toxin of 2,000 units each were supplied
to medical practitioners during the year 1916, of which 2 were for
curative treatment and 3 for prophylaxis.
Typhoid Fever or Enteric Fever.— During the period under
consideration 25 cases of typhoid were notified, but of these 3 cases
were afterward found not to be suffering from this disease, thus
reducing the genuine cases to 22. This is a decrease of 12 on the
number of genuine cases notified during 1915. The attack rate
is T per 1,000 living. Only 2 deaths were registered in the
Borough from this disease.
Of the 25 cases notified 24 were removed to hospital.
During 1916 specimens of blood from 32 persons suspected
to be suffering from enteric fever were submitted to Widal's test
of which 9 gave a positive and 23 a negative reaction.