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per cent. in 1915 and 7.9 per cent. in 1914. 5 cases were returned
as not suffering from this disease.
195 specimens were sent in by medical practitioners for
bacteriological examination, against 259 in 1915, and 327 in 1914.
Of these 43 were found to contain diphtheria bacilli, all of which
were notified.
The following has appeared in various reports and gives a
discription of the method adopted in this Borough to prevent the
spread of this disease which will bear repetition:—
"Diphtheria is a disease caused by a characteristic bacillus
known as the Klebs-Loffler Bacillus, which occurs in the throats
of persons attacked by the disease. It seems to be conveyed from
person to person by direct contact, and there is no virulent
disease which will spread more rapidly under certain circumstances
than this will among school children. It is more or less
directly conveyed from throat to throat by children passing
sweets, slate pencils, and other articles which they are liable to
put in their mouths, from one child to another. Kissing an affected
person on the mouth will also frequently give rise to the
disease, and an infected child coughing in the neighbourhood of
non-infected ones will also often transmit the disease to them.
Sometimes the bacilli will exist in the throat for a long time without
producing any symptoms, but such children, while not suffering
themselves, will be liable to convey the infection to others.
"For this reason they have been called 'carrier' cases, and,
as expressed in previous reports, my belief is that a large part of
the spread of the disease is due to such cases. Since 1902 an
endeavour has been made in this Borough to prevent any of these
'carrier' cases returning to school, and each Annual Report has
contained some account of the working of the plan. This consists
in getting the parents of a child which is notified as suffering from
diphtheria to bring up the other members of the family within
a week or so after the removal or recovery of the case to the
municipal laboratory at the Town Hall for examination. If
diphtheria bacilli are found in the throats they are excluded from
school for a fortnight, and if then found to be free, are allowed to
return to school."