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81
DIPHTHERIA.
375 cases were admitted with a diagnosis of Diphtheria, an
increase of 91 cases on 1936. Of these, 22 were found not to be
cases of Diphtheria and 99 were cases of positive swab without
clinical symptoms, leaving 254 cases of true clinical Diphtheria.

Of the laryngeal cases, tracheotomy was necessary in 4 cases
and two recovered.
The following complications and sequelæ occurred amongst
the Diphtheria cases:—
Otorrhoea 6
Rhinorrhœa 5
Adenitis 10
Heart Failure 20
Secondary Throat 4
Paralysis—
Palatal Paralysis 16
Eyes 6
Facial 1
Diaphragm 2
One of the two cases who developed diaphragmatic
paralysis, and was a severe case of diphtheria with palatal and
eye paralysis, developed in addition intercostal paralysis in the
7th week. The intercostal and diaphragmatic paralysis was
treated by a Bragg-Paul pulsator. The apparatus was continued
intermittently for three consecutive days and nights, after which
period there was a gradual recovery of the paralysed muscles.
This apparatus undoubtedly saved the child's life by keeping up
the respiratory movements, which had practically ceased.
The other case of paralysis of the diaphragm, which
developed rapidly in the 5th week, and was treated with constant
nasal oxygen inhalations, proved fatal.