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68
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
"On the 25th another notification was received, the
patient, a boy of four years, attending the same school.
"The two cases in which the true bacillus had been
isolated were notified by the Medical Officer, Education
Department, and another case was notified on the 29th
January. The total number of cases that have occurred in
connection with this department was seven, but in addition
five other cases occurred in the immediate neighbourhood,
one of these attending another school, and other four relations
of one of the children notified.
"Cultures were taken from the throats of 10 patients in
the neighbourhood, and in five, four of which were members
of the same family, the bacillus associated with Diphtheria
was found, in three Hoffman's pseudo Diphtheria bacillus
was present, and in two the bacillus was not found. One of
the cases where the Hoffman's bacillus was present had been
examined by the Assistant Medical Officer, Education Department,
and at that time the true Diphtheria bacillus was
found.
"An enquiry into the history of the dates of the first
symptoms elicited the fact that a girl of seven years attending
the school and residing in Fawe Park Road had had a
sore throat about the 10th January and continued at school.
The throat of this child was swabbed and the Diphtheria
bacillus was found.
"The two cases first notified proved fatal.
"A review of the whole of the circumstances in connection
with this outbreak only emphasizes the fact which has
been previously noted, that carrier cases, or cases attending
school with the Diphtheria bacillus present with very few
clinical symptoms, invariably cause a serious outbreak of the
disease, more especially if the carrier case or cases attend
infants' departments of public schools.
"One feature of this outbreak which has also been previously
observed is the association of the true bacillus and
Hoffman's bacillus. All the facts which have been observed