THE METAZOA 



the ears; then twenty-five per cent, of 

 deaths from scarlet fever are due to pneu- 

 monia; then pleurisy is especially to be 

 dreaded in these cases, as it so often ends 

 in the abscess of the pleura called empy- 

 ema: then death might be caused by the 

 diphtheria toxin dissolving, as it were, 

 strands of the heart muscle, and lastly 

 streptococcic invasion of the kidneys 

 might end the scene. All of these dan- 

 gers occurred to the child in their order 

 except the last. Abscesses in both ears 

 developed the next day, but a skilful 

 aurist was at hand and freed the ears 

 completely. This, of itself, was no small 

 gain, for many cases of hard hearing 

 throughout life date from the ear inflam- 

 mations by scarlet fever in childhood, and 

 I have been told that the same cause ac- 

 counts for twenty per cent, of the deaf 

 mutes in our asylums. On February 2, 1 

 found a patch of pneumonia with pleurisy 



an 



