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admitted in circumstances similar to the chicken-pox admissions.
A few were admitted to avoid contact with pregnancy.
Gastro-Enteritis.—The 34 cases shown in the table were comprised
of 2 adults and 32 infants. Only four cases could be classified
as severe and there were no deaths.
Whooping Cough.—Experience supported the impression of
the previous vear that chloramphenicol treatment was beneficial.
Grave complications were rare e.g. only one case of convulsions
was encountered.
Poliomyelitis and Encephalitis.—The disease showed its
usual seasonal incidence and 21 of the 24 patients were admitted
in the months July-November inclusive. Of the total admissions,
19 were paralytic, 2 were cases of meningo-encephalitis and 3
were purely meningitif. There was one death among the paralytic
cases—a man aged 40 years who developed bulbar and resniratorv
paralysis. One of the meningoencephalitis cases—a boy
aged 4 years—died after transfer to Atkinson Morley Hospital.
13 patients had residual limb paralysis on discharge or transfer.
The age incidence of all cases was as follows:—
Under 5 years—6; 5-10 years—8; 10-15 years—1; 15-25 years
—3; 25-35 years—4; 35-45 years—2.
The incidence and severity, though greater than in the previous
year, was not exceptional. It was the only notifiable
infectious disease, tuberculosis excepted, in which a fatal case
occurred.
Other Infections.—Dysentery remained a mild disease. Bacteriologically,
ten were cases of Sonne dysentery, two Flexner
and two unascertained.
Of the food poisoning cases, 5 were Salmonella typhi-murium
infections, one Salmonella enteritidis and one unascertained.
Persistent Salmonella carriers continued to give rise to difficulty.
Meningitis cases consisted of one meningococcal and one
pneumococcal case, both of whom recovered and one pyogenic
meningitis of unascertained type in which the patient, a child
suffering from congenital heart disease, died a few hours after
admission.
Other deaths not already referred to, were one from bronchpneumonia
and myocardiac degeneration and one from narcotic
poisoning.