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July 51 41
August 50 41
September 57 46
October 62 47
November 61 52
December 59 52
Complications.—The complications met with during 1935
were as follows:—
Scarlet Fever.—(Total of 285 cases treated during the year.)
Rheumatism 3(1 very slight)
Otorrhœa 8 (right 4, left 3,
double 1)
Adenitis 5
Rhinorrhœa 2
Late Albuminuria 1
Total 19
The pencentage of complications met with during the year
shows a definite decrease from the figures which obtained for the
past three years, although these in turn were low, and seems to support
the fact that the new serum treatment put into operation is
exercising a benficial effect, not only in diminishing the average
stay in hospital but also in reducing complications. It must also
be remembered that every complication, however slight, is included
in this list, and that all yielded satisfactorily to treatment. Once
again, of course, it would not be safe to draw final conclusions from
these figures, which cover too short a period and were not controlled
by a parallel series of cases to which no serum had been
administered. It is interesting to note from the table of complications,
that most of the complications met with were of the "septic"
type, thus bearing out the known fact that antitoxin has least effect
in preventing this type of complication, its greatest value lying in
the power to reduce toxicity and thus minimise the later, more
serious after-effects. In addition to the complications set out
above, one patient developed a secondary rash.
Diphtheria.—Apart from the 6 fatal cases met with during the
year, 29 complications occurred amongst the 184 cases treated
during 1935.
72