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48
Diphtheria
"carrier"
clinics.
diphtheria. Animal inoculation showed 245 to be virulent. Ear cultures from
9 cases of otorrhoea yielded two with K.L.B., one proving virulent and the other
avirulent. In a total of 49 teachers and other adults examined bacteriologically
none yielded K.L.B.
The children in 64 schools were kept under special supervision for various
periods by the school nurses in connection with the occurrence of cases of diphtheria.
The arrangements made with three voluntary hospitals, viz., London, St.
Mary's and Guy's, for the treatment of diphtheria carriers at special out-patient
clinics, were continued during 1933.
Reports have been furnished by the medical officers in charge of these clinics.
In this connection it may be noted that the cases referred to the clinics through
the school medical service are those in which virulence has been established as a
result of animal inoculation.
The clinic at the London hospital is under the care of Mr. Francis Muecke, who
has reported as follows:—
On arrival 46 cases were found to be positive and 37 negative. The following is an analysis
of these cases:—
Result.
Positive
on arrival.
(26
operations.)
Negative
on arrival.
(9
operations.)
Total.
Discharged cured
41
37
78
Ceased to attend
2
—
2
Current cases
3
—
3
Total
46
37
83
Since my last report, the clinio has been carried on at the London hospital with increasing
attendances. The treatment carried out has been as heretofore, enucleation of tonsils and saline
nasal douches. The tonsil affected is seldom the enlarged angry-looking kind, but rather the
small buried type ; this fact is again seen in those cases who had become negative on arrival—only
in nine cases was operation considered advisable on general appearances. The results are again
astonishingly good.
Professor John Eyre has furnished the following statement regarding the work
carried out at the special clinic at Guy's hospital:—
The officers in charge are Dr. L. W. Cann, bacteriological department, and Mr. R. J.
Cann, throat department.
There has been no alteration in the personnel of this carrier clinio since its inception in 1926.
The year 1933 has been marked by a considerable rise in the number of new cases as compared
with previous years, a total of 129 presenting themselves during the twelve months. It may be
of interest at this stage to tabulate the statistics obtained during the period since the clinio was
opened:—
Year.
Total
new
cases.
Virulent
K.L.B.
Avirulent
K.L.B.
Virulence
tests.
Not
tested.
Total.
B.Hoffmanni
and
other
diphther
oids.
Virulence
tests.
Diphther
oids
absent.
Total.
Total
new
cases.
1926 (6 mths)
41
17
9
26
1
27
12
2
14
41
1927
80
27
7
34
3
37
30
9
13
43
80
1928
49
16
8
24
1
25
18
—
6
24
49
1929
90
26
11
37
5
42
35
—
13
48
90
1930
79
21
5
26
4
30
28
—
21
49
79
1931
70
17
8
25
2
27
34
9
43
70
1932
61
21
13
34
4
38
13
—
10
23
61
1933
129
20
17
65*
11
48
38
15
43
81
129
* Including "repeat" tests.