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9
These nine children who died constitute but a few of those whose
lives were endangered by the failure of parents to obtain medical
advice and by the delay on the part of a few doctors in applying
the specific treatment when diphtheria was suspected. The
fortunate children who recovered did so only after a long and
serious illness which required unremitting care and a high degree
of skill on the part of the staff.
The following are three examples of children who recovered
after long illness :—
1. Age 8 years. Admitted on eighth day of disease ;
in hospital 187 days. Complications—ocular, palatal and
pharyngeal paresis, cardiac involvement.
2. Age 7 years. Admitted on third day of disease ;
in hospital 141 days. Complication—cardiac involvement.
3. Age years. Admitted on third day of disease ;
in hospital 164 days. Complications—palatal, pharyngeal
and ocular paresis.
The average duration of stay in hospital for diphtheria cases
was 57 days.
There was only one return case.
Enteric Fever.—Three adults, one female (22 years) and
two males (45 years and 54 years respectively) were admitted
suffering from this disease. All three made an uneventful recovery.
Bacteriologically one was found to be suffering from typhoid,
one from para-typhoid A and the third from para-typhoid B.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.—Three babies were admitted
suffering from this condition. One was found to be due to the
gonococcus, and the others to other organisms. All recovered
satisfactorily and were discharged with no impairment of vision.
Pemphigus.—The three cases admitted as pemphigus were
those of babies admitted from the maternity hospital at different
times of the year on suspicion of being pemphigus neonatorum.
They proved not to be cases of pemphigus.