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In addition, one child re-Schick tested 15 months after 1 c.cm. T.A.T., was
found positive, and two children retested after 3 c.cm. were on the information
given by the mother considered to be slightly positive. Twenty of those positive
on re-Schicking have been further inoculated, and ten of them further tested and
found negative. Efforts are being made to continue the inoculation of the
remaining ten. Of the 295 persons retested, 137 were males and 158 were females.
Among the positive were ten males and 20 females. Neither age nor interval
seems to have any influence on the phenomenon. It would seem conceivable that
some batches of toxin antitoxin or toxoid antitoxin might prove to be less
efficacious than others. An analysis of the results obtained in Holborn would
seem to indicate clearly that one batch of toxin antitoxin was less successful than
the others; also that the toxoid antitoxin used was as efficacious as the toxin
antitoxin. The toxin antitoxin used were all 3 L+ per c.cm. mixtures, the toxoid
antitoxin contained toxoid diluted 1-10 with added antitoxin. (Table VI.)
That considerable importance attaches to the retesting is shown by the fact
that our one case of diphtheria among those treated occurred in a child who was
given the routine three injections. The boy suffered from a severe attack of the
disease, but recovered without any complications or sequelae; his recovery was
ascribed certainly by his mother to the inoculations of T.A.T. given after Schick
testing.
A second case is said to have occurred in a boy (aged 8) also given the routine three
injections. Two years later he was diagnosed (for the third time in his life) as suffering
from diphtheria ; no swab was taken. On admission to the M. A.B. Hospital he was first
found to be swab negative, later swab positive, but was diagnosed as a case of
diphtheria. The mother fortunately is still convinced that the boy did not suffer from
diphtheria.