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diphtheria and consequently also among the schoolchildren. The 

 schools are closed and now by the reopening of the schools 

 no children are admitted unless they are free from diphtheria 

 bacilli; therefore all the schoolchildren have to be examined 

 and if possible all looo together and if not then 250 daily. 

 It is rightly observed, that if it is not finished at once, there 

 may be a chance of the child being infected afterwards and 

 therefore the examination would be of no use ; but the impos- 

 sibility of doing such a huge investigation with due accuracy is 

 not thought of. There are too many sources of mistakes on 

 the long way between the throat of the person examined and 

 the microscope of the bacteriologist. 



In the searching for diphtheria-carriers we miss the impor- 

 tant help of the clinicus for making our diagnosis ; only in 

 these cases, where a close contact has existed between the 

 persons examined and a diphtheria-patient we get an indication 

 which may be of some use to us. In other cases we are 

 referred to the bacteriological examination only. Moreover this 

 examination has to be done as soon as possible, for only by 

 quick decision some succès of the measures taken may be 

 expected. Therefore we are exposed at such examinations to 

 far greater mistakes than at those of patients or convalescents. 



Only under special circumstances we may get any results 

 valuable for the practical hygiene. As such favourable circum- 

 stances may be mentioned : a small number of persons living 

 in close contact with each other, provided that sufficient isola- 

 tion of the individuals, diagnosed as carriers, is possible. 

 Further it will be a great benefit to the result, if the regulation 

 of the examination on the spot and the laboratory-work are 

 in one hand or take place in mutual consultation. 



Under these favourable circumstances the examination of the 

 childeren of one or two classes of a school may sometimes give 

 useful results. The examination on a large scale of a whole 

 school-population or of every schoolchild in a small town, is 

 ■ not practicable in such a way, that the results can serve a? a 

 foundation for practical hygienic measures. The trouble, which 

 is caused and the work that has to be done, are certainly not 

 in accordance to the results obtained. 



