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71
Included in the above figures are the following cases which proved to be not suffering
from smallpox:—
Chicken pox 2
Dermatitis 1
Vaccinated infant admitted with mother 1
Negative cases 2
6
Average stay in hospital 23.8 days.
Number of deaths 1
Number of cases vaccinated:—
In Infancy 29
At six years of age 1
30
Ages of persons vaccinated:—
1—10 years 1
10—20 „ 3
20—30 „ 3
30—40 „ 5
40—50 „ 7
50—60 „ 11
30
Seven persons whose ages were respectively, 9, 13, 17, 20, 26, 31 and 45 presented no vaccination
cicatrices as evidence that vaccination had been successfully performed.
Percentage of cases vaccinated 13.3
Complications:—
Keratitis 2
Iritis 1
Conjunctivitis 1
Otitis media 1
Encephalo-myelitis 1
Boils 1
The fatal case died of encephalo-myelitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord) and has proved
of considerable medical interest. Similar complications are known to arise after vaccination, and
it has been recently shown that they may occur after measles and certain other diseases. Only one
other similar complication has been definitely known to have arisen after small-pox, although others
in all probability have occurred but not been investigated. A clinical and pathological description
of this case will shortly be published in the Lancet.
Schick Test and Active Immunisation against Diphtheria.
(1) Hospital.
During 1926 a commencement was made in Schick Testing the nursing staff and immunising
those nurses who proved to be susceptible to Diphtheria. Since that date three cases of Diphtheria
have occurred, one in 1927, one in 1928 and one in 1929. In two instances the attack of the disease
was mild and occurred before sufficient time had elapsed for full immunity to be established. The
third case occurred in a nurse who had been immunised 14 months previously and who gave a Schick
negative reaction 5 weeks before the onset of the illness. The clinical appearance of the throat was
suggestive of Diphtheria, and although the first swab taken proved negative a second swab taken two
days later was reported as positive. In view of this diagnosis of Diphtheria was made. Those nurses
who give a positive reaction are retested at the end of 9-10 months in order to ascertain whether
they have become immunised, and a second course of the immunising agent (toxoid-antitoxin) is
given if necessary.
Nine cases of sore throat occurred during 1929 amongst the Schick negative or immunised
nurses, and these all proved to be non-diphtheritic. The average number of days off duty from this
cause being 6.6.
The fall in incidence in Diphtheria amongst the nursing staff since 1926 is marked as the
folk)wing figures show:—
Number of cases of Diphtheria occurring amongst probationer nurses during
eight months in 1926 (before immunisation was carried out) 9
Incidence rate (per annum) 45%