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is hoped to maintain the number of such cases at an absolute minimum.
A child, on leaving the clinic, is probably at least 100 times
as safe against diphtheria infection as when it was first brought
there.
Efforts have been directed towards immunisation of small children
rather than older persons, because it is during the earlier
years of life that diphtheria proves so often to be of a grave or
fatal nature.
Without displaying undue optimism, it would appear that
shortly sufficient children in the district will have been immunised
to prove that something very definite and valuable has been accomplished.
It should be possible, for example, to compare the incidence
of diphtheria among 3,000 children considered to be immune
or immunised, with that among the remainder of the child population.
Experience indicates that we may anticipate the result of
such a comparison with pleasurable expectation.
G. Bousfield, M.D. (Lond.).
Diphtheria Antitoxin.
Boxes containing a Sterile Antitoxin syringe and the necessary
dressings, etc., are kept at the two Police Stations so as to be
available in case of emergency.
During 1930, 71, vials of Antitoxin of 8,000 units each were
supplied to medical practitioners.
Smallpox.
Smallpox again visited us on three occasions. The first cases
occurred on the 4th June.
On the evening of the 3rd I was notified from Chiswick that
a case of smallpox had been taken off a barge at Hemel Hempstead.
I telephoned to the owners of the barge to immobilize it in the dock
until I had seen the occupants in the morning.