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46
CLINICAL ASPECTS.
Scarlet Fever.
Admissions :
Number admitted with a diagnosis of scarlet fever, 160.
Number suffering from scarlet fever, 148.
Number in whom the diagnosis was not confirmed, 12.
Of these cases in which the diagnosis was not confirmed, 2 suffered
from tonsillitis, 1 from pharyngitis, 1 from teething rash, 1 from rubella,
1 from no obvious disease, and 6 from food or drug rashes.
Deaths:
There were no deaths.
Treatment :
Of the 148 patients admitted who were considered to be suffering
from scarlet fever, serum alone was given in 19 cases, prontosil alone in
61 cases and both serum and prontosil in 45 cases. 23 cases were given
neither. Five of the serum cases had 6,000 units, the remainder had
3,000 units.
Complications :
27 per cent. of the scarlet fever patients suffered from some complication.
The number who suffered from otorrhoea was 9, from adenitis 6,
from rhinorrhoea 11, from rheumatism 2, secondary sore throat 7, septic
sores 6 and relapse 1.
Cross Infection :
Eleven patients developed other infections during their stay in
hospital, the infections being measles in 6 cases and chickenpox in 5.
Return Cases:
One patient was admitted with tonsillitis six days after her son had
been discharged from hospital.
Period of Stay :
49 per cent. of patients returned home on or before the twenty-first
day from admission. 29 per cent. were in until the twenty-eighth day
or longer, most of them being detained for some minor abnormality.
Diphtheria.
Admissions :
Number of cases admitted on a diagnosis of diphtheria, 41.
Number of cases clinically diphtheria (nasal, 5 ; faucial and laryngeal,
17), 22.
Number of positive swab carriers, 8.
Of the 11 cases in which the diagnosis was not confirmed, 8 were
suffering from tonsillitis, 1 from Vincent's Angina and 2 from measles.