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During the year the number of bacteriological examinations made in connection
with diphtheria was 899. In eleven instances the source of infection, as represented
by a previous case in the same household, was established.
Diphtheria Immunization.—The desirability of an increase in immunization
work, and one of the methods adopted to effect it, was mentioned in the introduction
to this section (page 42). At the diphtheria immunization clinic the total number of
attendances was 870. The number of persons who received the primary Schick
test was 148, and of these 72 were naturally immune and were not immunized.
During the year 102 of the children completed the course of inoculations and 57 of
these were tested and found immune. At the end of the year 64 cases were still
under treatment or were awaiting the final Schick test.
Diphtheria Carriers.—Five persistent carriers were referred by the County
Medical Officer of Health to the Carrier Clinic for treatment of school children at
the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street.
DYSENTERY
During the year 1937, notifications were received of 58 cases of dysentery. Thirtyfour
of these were removed to hospital, and in twenty-two other cases the patients
were in hospital when the disease supervened. Bacteriological confirmation of the
presence of the dysentery bacillus in the stools was obtained in 20 cases before the
patient went into hospital, and the diagnosis was confirmed in other cases in hospital.
Information from the various hospitals to which the patients were sent showed that
twelve of the notified cases were discharged as not suffering from dysentery.
The monthly distribution of the 58 cases was as follows: February, 4; March, 1;
April, 2; May, 2; June, 2; July, 3; August, 1; September, 6; October, 8;
November, 14; December, 15. The cases were therefore sufficiently numerous
during the last four months of the year to constitute epidemic proportions, especially
as it is probable that there are many more missed cases of the disease than the
numbers notified.

Thirty-three of the notified patients were males and 25 were females.