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31
It will be understood from the foregoing remarks, that it is
inadvisable to adopt for all cases a hard and fast rule. An.
endeavour is made to deal with each case upon its merits, but, as
a result, misunderstandings very often occur.
I may record a few instances where recently a difficulty
occurred:—A child was examined in Southfield Road School, and
a swab taken from the throat. The child was sent home and
excluded from school pending the result. The result was
positive and the Health Visitor was sent to the house to make
further inquiries and give instructions. The father of the child
called up at the same time at the office and ridiculed the idea of
the child being a disease carrier. He was asked to obtain the
advice of another doctor, but stated that he could not afford it,
nor could he isolate the child. There was no. option but to
remove the case to the Hospital, which the father reluctantly
accepted, but evidently misbelieving the possibility of any risk
being attached to the case remaining at home. A few days
afterwards another child of the same family exhibited: symptoms
of clinical Diphtheria. Both parents were then convinced.,
A second case was enamined at the same school and the
same mode of procedure adopted in the school. The result here
also was positive, but before the Health Visitor had called, the
mother had taken the child to see another doctor, and the case
was pronounced by him not to be Diphtheria, without having a,
bacteriological examination made.
As a result of this opinion, the other children were sent to.
school, but a notice had been sent to the school that all children
in the family should be excluded until further notice, consequently
they were not admitted. The mother came down to
see me at the office, and I explained the circumstances to her.
If she cared, a second swab could be taken by the doctor who
had seen the child and sent to the Lister Institute at the
Council's expense, or I would take another swab, as the doctor
was not then in attendance. She preferred the second
alternative, and the result was again positive. The mother then
called in another doctor, but he, having heard the result of the.