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41
How Disease is Spread.—The year did not pass without
furnishing illustrations of common modes of spread of
infectious disease. Two may be cited here. A notification
of a case of diphtheria in a child, aged 3 years, was received
from a general hospital. The patient's home being visited, it
was ascertained that a doctor had been consulted as to the
nature of the illness. He is alleged to have said it was
diphtheria, and to have advised removal to hospital in a cab
forthwith. Upon enquiry at the hospital it was found that
the number of the cab was unknown, it being, as the resident
medical officer put it, one of those cases in which the cab had
been discharged before the nature of the case had been dis
covered. The ambulance could have been had for the asking
and the child would have been removed forthwith. The case
proved fatal five days after admittance to hospital.
In the other case, a notification of diphtheria in a child,
aged 4 years, having been received, the house was visited the
same day, when it was ascertained that the child had been
taken by railway into the country that same morning. The
father and the brother of the child stated that the removal had
been effected upon the advice of the doctor. The medical
officer of health of the district to which the child had been
taken was informed of the occurrence, and the house was visited.
To him the mother stated that her doctor was of opinion
that " the child had not got diphtheria, but a form of sore
throat, which might lead to diphtheria," and he had " advised
the child to be taken into the country where there were no
children." My correspondent added that he found two other
young children at the house when he called. It is improbable
that the doctor in London made the statement
attributed to him respecting the nature of the throat trouble,
seeing that he (and another doctor also) gave a definite certificate
of diphtheria. The doctor, on being asked for an explanation,
stated that he had recommended the removal to the