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30
No blame can be attached to medical men for occasional errors of
diagnosis, considering that it often happens the characteristic symptoms
have disappeared before advice is sought.
One hundred and sixty-five of the cases notified were removed to the
Sanatorium. Amongst these must be included some of the worst cases.
A large number of those sent to hospital were found to have the
diphtheria bacillus present in the throat, and undoubtedly had true
diphtheria, and thus helped to swell the death-rate.
DIPHTHERIA.
During the year 147 cases of Diphtheria, and 5 of Membranous
Croup were notified compared with 150 cases in the previous year.
The sickness rate for these diseases was 1.42 per 1,000 of the population,
a rate similar to 1902 and comparing very favourably with 3.4 in
1901, 56 in 1900, and a mean of 3.25 for the years 1890-1901.
Seventeen deaths were certified as due to Diphtheria or Membranous
Croup, equivalent to a rate of .16 per 1,000 of the population and a rate
of 11.6 per 100 affected. In other words, a little over 1 in 10 of these
attacked by the disease died from it.
The mortality from Diphtheria of 12 per 100 attacked compares very
unfavourably with that of Scarlatina with a rate of 2 per 100, and yet
many fail to recognise the great value of isolation in hospital for its cure
and prevention.
The apparent freedom from the disease after a week's illness, when
the throat symptoms disappear and the readiness with which certificates
are given by the medical attendant that the patients are free from
infection within two or three weeks of the onset of the disease, induce
many parents to keep their children at home, rather than have them
removed to the Sanatorium.
That very few suffering from Diphtheria are free from infection for
eight weeks from the onset is the experience of those best qualified to
judge, and failure of home isolation when the sufferer is still infective
must be a great factor in spreading the disease and maintaining its
endemic character.
The steady decline in the number of notifications and deaths from
Diphtheria since the Sanatorium was opened is very encouraging, and
during the year every case desirous of Hospital treatment was removed.
In consequence 78 of the 152 sufferers, or over 50 per cent., were sent to
the Sanatorium.