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have properly recovered " ; the second case of diphtheria occurred on the
9th February, and the medical man in charge of the case was of opinion
that the complaint had been conveyed to the child from a cat, which was
also seriously ill, and had a discharge from its nose; he had the cat
killed and buried. By the time the information reached me the cat had
been buried about three days, but I had it exhumed and examined, but
no definite results were obtained. Group (b).—One month elapsed
between the return from hospital of the first case (he had been in
hospital fifteen weeks) and the occurrence of the second, and no history
of sore throat could be obtained among the other members of the
family ; it is possible that the first case still had some of the bacilli in
his throat, and this appears probable, as a playmate living in the same
block of buildings was notified with it on the same day as the second
case. Group (c).—Four months elapsed between the return of the first
case from hospital and the occurrence of the second; no definite
connection between the two cases was observed. Group (d).—The first
case was notified on the 26th March, the second on the 4th May; the
former was aged 5 years, the latter 3 years, yet both had had diphtheria
previously, the former in March, 1902, the latter in November, 1901,
when living at another address. It is possible for the organisms to have
remained in their throats until the period of protection conferred by the
first effects was ended, or it may have been that one or both were
subject to fresh infection; they were in hospital for the second attacks
for nine and thirteen weeks respectively.

An apparent connection between certain cases of diphtheria and
sewer emanations was discovered, but as several other kinds of infectious
disease were located in the same locality, the connection would appear
to be rather that of a predisposing influence than of direct causation.
Complaints were received that offensive emanations came from the
street ventilators with steam, and a shaft ventilator against a house was
found to be quite hot to the touch. The temperature of the sewage
was ascertained by the City Engineer to be 175° F., and in a drain