DIPHTHERIA 105 



1. "It has been suggested, that the decline in 

 the mortality amongst cases of diphtheria, which 

 followed the introduction of the antitoxin-serum 

 treatment of the disease, might largely be accounted 

 for by the inclusion of numbers of cases which were 

 certified as diphtheria after the bacteriological test 

 only. Therefore such cases have been shown, this 

 year, in a separate column from those exhibiting 

 the usual clinical signs of the disease. It is very 

 satisfactory to find that, notwithstanding the ex- 

 clusion of the bacteriological cases, the death-rate, 

 calculated on the admissions, is still as low as 9*8, 

 as compared with a rate of 30 per cent, before the 

 introduction of antitoxin." Report for 1909, p. 145. 



2. " In connection with the mortality of diph- 

 theria cases, we draw special attention to the rate 

 per 1,000 of the estimated population.* For some 

 years prior to 1893, it had been steadily advancing, 

 notwithstanding occasional reductions, until in the 

 year mentioned it had attained the very high figure 

 of 076. Since 1893, however, the rate has fallen; 

 and this fall has been coincident with the intro- 

 duction and increasing use of the antitoxic serum 

 treatment of diphtheria."- -Report for 1909, p. 152. 



3. " In August last, the Local Government 

 Board issued an order empowering the Metropolitan 

 Borough Councils to provide diphtheria antitoxin 

 for the poorer inhabitants of their districts." Report 



for 1910, p. xvi. 



4. The Report for 1910 states, p. 131, that the 



* Some of the " anti-vivisectionists " make very dishonest 

 use of the Registrar- GeneraPs returns. So it may be as well 

 to say here, that these returns do not throw the very least 

 shadow of a shade of doubt on the value of diphtheria- 

 antitoxin. 



14 



