View report page

aged 59 years, who had a septic wound on his fingr 10 days previously,
and the illness started with a painful area on his shoulder.
There was an intense area of erysipelas spreading across his chest
on admission, and the patient died within two days in spite of
large doses of antistrepto-coccal serum. Among the other
patients, the face was the part affected in 13 cases, the arm in
4 cases, and the leg in 3 cases.
Pneumonia. During the year 25 cases were admitted, most
of them suffering from broncho-pneumonia. Of these 15 were
discharged, 3 died, and 7 remained under treatment at the end
of the year. The 3 fatal cases were children under one year,
suffering from broncho-pneumonia.
Anterior Poliomyelitis. Three cases of this disease were
under treatment. One proved fatal. This was a girl, aged 10
years, who was admitted in the 8th day of illness with paralysis
of the intercostal muscles. Artificial respiration was carried on
with a Bragg Paul's apparatus, but she succumbed five days later.
In the other two cases the leg was the part involved, and both
were discharged with only slight weakness in the affected limb.
Chickenpox. This disease was unusually prevalent during
the year and gave rise to secondary cases in the scarlet fever and
diphtheria wards from patients admitted in the incubation stage
of the infection. The majority of the cases were mild, or of
average severity. One case, however, was under treatment
suffering from complications of the nervous system which on rare
occasions follows an attack of chickenpox. This patient, a girl
aged 8 years, was admitted with complete paralysis of both
lower limbs which developed during convalescence from a mild
attack of the disease. After admission the paralysis extended to
the upper limbs and the left side of the head involving the left
optic nerve. In the course of the following three months improvement
slowly set in and she ultimately made a complete recovery.
Other Diseases. Included in this group are the following:—
Acute rheumatism 1, puerperal pyrexia 2, mumps 4, asthma 2,
anaphylaxis 1, dentition 1, otorrhoea 2, constipation 1, adenitis
1, intussusception 1, scabies 2, nephritis 1, impetigo 1, babies
(admitted with mothers) 3, re-admitted 3. The case of intussusception
was transferred to another institution; the others all
recovered.
Cross Infection. During the year 23 diphtheria patients contacted
scarlet fever and 33 others developed secondary tonsillitis
during convalescence. Six scarlet fever patients and 21
diphtheria patients contracted chickenpox. Nasal diphtheria
occurred in 10 scarlet fever patients. Measles infected 4 diphtheria
patients. One scarlet fever patient contracted whooping cough
and one diphtheria patient contracted mumps.
129