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All, except negative cases, received prophylactic treatment. In some
cases postponement of this occurs for unavoidable reasons, but almost
every case eventually received the full course of treatment. No case
failed to complete the course without good reason. No serious reactions
occurred after treatment.
Results of previous years have confirmed the findings elsewhere that
most young children give positive results and require treatment. An
increasing number of the younger children are therefore given treatment
without previous testing, unless there is a history of direct contact with
Diphtheria. This method may have the result that one or two children
receive harmless but not very necessary treatment, but on the other hand,
each child so treated is saved one injection, thus shortening the course.
Re-tests were performed, as in previous years, on about 60 per cent,
of the cases previously treated, and those cases which did not appear to
have attained sufficient protection received, on an average, two further
injections.
Treatment can never be considered as complete unless a negative
re-test has been obtained.
Ian S. Thomson.
Antitoxin, 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 from the small amount
used (12 bulbs, each containing 8,000 units) that practitioners prefer
to send their patients at once into the fever hospitals, where antitoxin
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 antitoxin supplied by the Council.