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could be eradicated, and the incidence of return cases of diphtheria
avoided. At the present time it is extremely difficult to obtain surgical
treatment for these cases, as, being of an infectious nature, they cannot
properly be treated in the throat departments of general hospitals. The
County Council have made arrangements for dealing with a limited number
of carriers occurring among school children, and this should prove of the
greatest value in clearing sources of infection in this particular group of
the community.
Anti-toxin, for use in cases of diphtheria, is provided free of charge
for medical practitioners attending patients residing in the City. The
supply is available on application at the City Hall, and at the Council's
Mortuary in Horseferry Road. It is apparent, however, from the small
amount used (36 bulbs, each containing 8,000 units), that practitioners
prefer to send their patients at once into the fever hospitals, where anti,
toxin is administered on admission to all cases of clinical diphtheria.
In times of epidemic, however, when the capacity of the fever hospitals is
greatly taxed, there tends to be delay in admitting cases, and it is then
that practitioners make full use of the anti-toxin supplied by the Council.
Bacteriological Diagnosis.— Swabs from suspected cases among
those residing in the City can be examined by the Council's bacteriologist
free of charge to the practitioners attending. The materials for swabbing
are supplied by the Council, and reports are in the first instance telephoned
or telegraphed to the doctor concerned, and written reports follow. The
number of throat swabs examined by the Council's bacteriologist during
each year since 1921 were :—
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
431 456 281 556 674
Typhoid Fever.—The number of cases notified during the five yearly
period are as follows:—
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
10 12 21 17 17
of which the following proved to be:—
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
Paratyphoid 3 2 7 3 5
Not typhoid 0 2 2 2 .0
Confirmed as typhoid 7 8 12 12 12
In 13 cases out of a total of 71 cases of Typhoid and Para typhoid
during 1921-1925, there was a history of shellfish having been consumed
previous to the onset of illness. In the remainder, infection seems to
have been contracted outside Westminster, mainly abroad; three were
(6375)Q
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