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128
be right to place a pseudo patient in a ward full of acute
Klebs-Lœffler patients.
An outbreak of sore throats in a school in Lambeth
was carefully investigated, and in very many cases pseudobacilli
were isolated from the throats of the scholars,
servants, and teachers ; whilst in 3 cases the true
Klebs-Lœffler bacilli were isolated, pointing apparently
to the two kinds of bacilli being related in some way.
That the pseudo-throats were infectious and "catching,"
there was no room for doubt, whilst in one case (not
connected with the school) true diphtheritic paralysis
apparently supervened, though the true Diphtheria bacilli
(Klebs-Lceffler) were not at any examination found.
In connection with this particular school outbreak,
inquiries elicited the fact that throat troubles had been
more or less prevalent for many months past, though no
case had been sufficiently marked in its clinical symptoms
to justify the medical attendant in notifying it as Diphtheria.
These throats had been apparently pseudo-throats and
either proved finally a suitable nidus for the development of
the true bacillus of Diphtheria, or gradually passed into the
more serious and virulent Diphtheria attacks due to the
Klebs-Lœffler (or true Diphtheria) bacilli. A further
interesting feature of the outbreak was that on examining
the slimy deposits in the waste-pipes of the lavatory basins
in the dormitories and in the outlets of the open rectangular
trough underneath the basins, a pure culture of the KlebsLceffler
bacillus was obtained—a fact verified in another
bacteriological laboratory. The slimy deposits were found
to consist of organic and other debris (skin scales,
washing from mouths, soap, &c.), and the warm water
used for washing daily was continually passing over