View report page

37
the first day of the disease, not a single case died ; amongst
1,364 treated on the second day of the disease the mortality-rate
did not rise above 5.4 per cent.; whereas amongst cases not coming
under treatment until the fifth day and after, the rate was upwards of
22 per cent.
Several applications have been made at the office for tubes of
antitoxin, which I store for the convenience of local practitioners.
In this disease the spread of the infection (and by consequence
the mortality) are largely due to the unfortunate circumstance that
the early diagnosis of the disease from clinical symptoms is frequently
difficult and impossible, and bacteriology alone can solVe the difficulty
in many cases. The diagnosis outfits provided by the Council
to the medical practitioners in Stoke Newington continue to be much
appreciated. Every practitioner has; been kept supplied during
the year with such an outfit, and has thus had at his disposal the
means of procuring a bacteriological diagnosis of Diphtheria, Enteric
Fever, and Consumption.