View report page

xiv.
possible source of infection outside the schools, and the teachers I know have
been particularly active in noticing any case of sore throat or other suspicious
symptom, and excluding the child.
Now, in considering the question of Diphtheria in Schools, and the proper
means to be adopted in dealing with it, certain well-known facts must be kept
in mind. These facts may be summarised as follows:—
1. Diphtheria is caused by a specific bacillus, easily recognised, and
always present in the throats of persons suffering from the disease.
2. This bacillus may be present in the throats of persons showing no
clinical symptoms of the disease, and apparently perfectly well, they
themselves being either protected by a previous mild attack, or from some
cause being immune to the disease.
3. These persons, though themselves unaffected, are as infectious to
others as a patient actually suffering from Diphtheria. They are really
more dangerous as possible sources of infection, because whilst they may
convey the disease to anyone coming in contact with them, they are not
known as potential centres of danger, and no precautions are taken with
regard to them.
These facts are not theoretical; they are based on scientific knowledge,
and there is no doubt about them. What is uncertain is how long the bacillus
may remain active in healthy persons, but this does not affect the measures
that should be taken for discovering it.
Fortunately the search for the diphtheria bacillus is not a difficult matter,
but it can only be carried out by a skilled investigator using bacteriological
methods.
It may be useful to explain as simply as possible what these methods
are, and the procedure they entail.
A "swab" is first taken from the throat of the suspected person. This
means that a small plug of sterilised cotton-wool is rubbed over that part of
the back of the throat in which the bacillus is usually found. Tubes containing
some culture medium favourable to the growth of the bacillus are then
inoculated from the swabs, and placed in the incubator. Next day microorganisms
will be found to be growing on the surface of the culture-medium, and