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removed to hospital, but twenty-one of these were found
to have been incorrectly diagnosed. Of the 354 genuine
hospital cases twenty-four died, making with the two
home deaths a total of 26. This gives a case mortality of
7.1 per cent, as against 6.9 per cent, amongst the whole
of the Eastern hospital cases. 84,000 units of anti-toxin
were supplied free to medical practitioners during the
year, 143 throat swabs were submitted to the Clinical
Research Association for examination, 45 of which gave
positive results and 98 negative. Twenty of the deaths
from diphtheria were amongst young children aged less
than five years, a mortality of 1.13 per thousand on the
enumerated population of young children.
ENTERIC FEVER.
Deaths, 2. (Decennial average 7.3.)
Nineteen persons were notified as suffering from
Enteric Fever; in seven instances the diagnosis was
reported by the hospital authorities to be incorrect. Of
the twelve actual cases, five were treated in M.A.B.
hospitals, five in general hospitals and two at home. The
case mortality of this disease amongst all the patients in
the Eastern hospital was 7.34 per cent.
Six samples of blood in suspicious cases were submitted
for examination; in three cases a positive reaction
was reported and a partial reaction in one; the other two
gave negative results.
In no case were we able to trace a definite cause of
the illness; three of the patients had recently eaten fried
fish and another, shell fish.