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Twelve Poplar parishioners died from typhoid fever, and fourteen
fatal cases occurred in Bromley. Under the heading of diphtheria
will be found information as to the distribution, etc., of the typhoid
fever cases.
DIPHTHERIA (INCLUDING MEMBRANOUS CROUP).
That a very large percentage of cases notified as diphtheria is not
such, is clearly proved by the following article in the Lancet, nth
January 1896:-
"The Metropolitan Asylums Board have published a pro"visional
report by Dr. Sims Woodhead on the cases of diph"theria
which were sent to the laboratories of the Conjoint
"Board of the Royal Colleges of Physicians (London) and
"Surgeons (England) for bacteriological examination from
'January 1st to August 31st, 1895.—So long as the diagnosis of
"diphtheria was based on the gross physical signs and symptoms
"of the disease it is evident that all statistics on the question are
"subject to most serious error, owing to the inclusion or ex"clusion
of the milder throat cases, according to the individual
"judgment of the person charged with making the diagnosis.—
"The importance, also, of preventing non-diphtheritic cases
"being kept apart and thus obviating their exposure to the in"fection
by being placed in the same wards as the diphtheria
"patients must be quite evident. Perhaps, however, the most
"important role which the bacteriological diagnosis has to play
"in this relation is in determining when the throat in convalescent