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16
In each of the primary infecting cases, the usual rule of
obtaining 2 negative swabs, at an interval of 3 days before the
discharge of the patient from Hospital, had been adhered to,
so that it was evident that these two patients became again
infectious after returning home.
The relighting up of infectivity after an interval, occurs
also after Scarlet Fever, and serves to emphasize the necessity
of extreme caution, in allowing intercourse with other
children convalescent from either Scarlet Fever or Diphtheria.
There were 4 deaths from Diphtheria, which represents
a case mortality of 9 per cent, a fairly satisfactory result.
The antitoxin treatment, introduced towards the end of
1894, has been one of the principal agents in the reduction of
the fatality.
If parents were all aware of this fact, and would obtain
medical advice for their children in the early stages of any
throat affections, this fatality could be much lowered, for medical
men are all agreed that the essential point in the treatment
of Diphtheria is the early use of antitoxin.
The cases were scattered fairly evenly over the district, 37
of these occurred in the last quarter of the year, which is the
time at which Diphtheria is usually most prevalent.
One hundred and ten Swabs were taken, and submitted
to the Clinical Research Association, with a positive result
in 23 cases and negative in 87.
In 22 of the cases of Diphtheria which were removed to
the Hospital, that is in exactly half the number, no swabs were