View report page

10
apparently well. It would be impracticable and undesirable
to isolate all patients for 12 weeks. Iu one of these cases the
returning patient had been away from home 11 weeks, and in
another 4 months. One patient who returned on July 2nd,
after a stay of 11 weeks, apparently infected three others ; a
brother notified on July 9th, a second brother notified on July
15th, and a friend visiting the family on September 11th.
This supposes a duration of infection of 20 weeks. This patient
had an unhealthy throat.
Diphtheria.
9. There were 148 cases of Diphtheria and Membranous
Group, compared with 179 and 118 in the two previous years.
Of these 67 went to Hospital, or nearly one half. Last year
only one-third went to Hospital; the year before only onesixth.
Still more would have gone but for the pressure on the
Hospitals in the autumn. 21 died at home and 13 at Hospital,
giving death-rates of 25 per cent. and 19 per cent. respectively,
compared with 32 and 35 last year, and 30 and 50 in 1893.
The diminished death-rate, especially the greatly diminished
Hospital death-rate is very satisfactory. There can be little
doubt that the latter is largely due to the use of the newremedy
Anti-toxin, which was used during 1895 in all the
more serious cases taken into the Fever Hospital.
10. School Influence in the Spread of Diphtheria.— A
good deal has been written lately on the effects of School
Influence in promoting the spread of Diphtheria, and attempts
have been made to shew that the increase of Diphtheria in
towns, in recent years, is mainly due to the effects of the
Education Act of 1870, which has led to aggregation of
children in schools to a much greater extent than previously.