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64
Muir or Ponder, but in the ease of the Neisser stain the polar bodies
only showed extremely faintly, in fact at times scarcely diseernable,
a condition which, speaking with 25 years' experience, 1 had never
come across before.
I put the matter up to Dr. O'Brien, who reported that he did
not think "there was any special significance to be attached to
this very poor polar staining," as from time to time he came across
"virulent cultures typical in every other respect which did not
stain deeply by Neisser."
This was borne out by the fact that the cases which were sent
for virulence tests and stained in this particular manner, were
Teturned as virulent.
The bacterial cases were, when possible, isolated at home, but
the crowded condition of many houses rendered it imperative in
view of these findings, that they should be accommodated in the
Isolation Hospital.
The difficulty of dealing with them is illustrated very well by
the case of a boy who was picked up in the course of contact
swabbing at school, a big, lusty lad of 13, and the picture of rude
health. His right tonsil was slightly enlarged, and appeared 'o
have a patch of thickening in, its centre, but nothing more. His
culture was abundantly positive. He was isolated at home and
treated, and despite all methods of treatment remained positive, and
when tested for virulency was returned as virulent.
He was eventually removed to the Hospital, and until his
tonsils were removed he returned positive cultures.
The type of disease seemed to get progressively worse as the
year went on.
Our Isolation Hospital accommodation, which had been getting
more and more inadequate owing to the continual growth of
the district, was now absolutely incapable of meeting the situation,
and on the 20th May I was compelled to send cases to the