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58
Under these circumstances the case mortality is bound tc
be extremely high whether the infecting strain of diphtheria bacillus
is of exalted virulence or not.
6 patients died within 36 hours of admission to hospital
and of these 1 died within an hour and 1 other within 12 hours.
2 patients died on the 2nd day, 5 between the 4th and 6th days,
and 7 between the 6th and 14th days. The other 4 developed complications
and died later in the course of the disease.
All were given large doses varying from 40,000 to 50,0fK)
units of anti-toxin intravenously as a first dose together with a
solution of glucose and colloidal iodine by the same route.
It is perhaps not amiss to remind practitioners of the heavy
responsibility which lies upon them in waiting for the result of a
swab before giving anti-toxin in a suspicious case during the present
epidemic.