154 



MCLAUGHLIN AND ANDREWS. 



of infants die of a disease which presents a definite pathologic picture for 

 which we know no better name than "moist beriberi." 



Nummary of Table X. 

 Beriberi 

 Cholera 



Broncho-pneumonia 

 Enterocolitis 

 Undetermined 



40 

 3 

 3 



1 

 3 



Total 



50 



In the pathological entity which we have called "beriberi" we come 

 face to face with one of the real factors in Filipino infant mortality. 

 This disease is responsible for many more deaths than would appear to 

 be the case from statistics. We have found not only that many instances 

 of alleged congenital debility and convulsions are due to beriberi, but 

 also acute bronchitis and pneumonia. It is our opinion that the two 

 diseases last mentioned are not common, and an investigation of deaths 

 from acute bronchitis and broncho-pneumonia shows many of them to be 

 due to beriberi. 



The clinical symptoms of dyspnoea and cardiac embarrassment are 

 often responsible for a diagnosis of bronchitis, or broncho-pneumonia, 

 when the necropsy reveals the picture of beriberi. While we recognize 

 the fact that bronchitis is a disease of childhood and old age, we hardly 

 think that the figures as given in Table IV for bronchitis state the 

 truth. It seems to us that the number of children under 1 year is too 

 large and that the difference between 1 year and 5 is too small. True, it 

 is in early infancy that the disease is most marked and it is more prevalent 

 in squalid homes and among poorly nourished infants than elsewhere, 

 yet we doubt if this would account for the figures as given. 



A summary of the 176 cases studied is given in Table XI. 



Table XI. — Showing the number of cases investigated, together with clinical 

 diagnoses and necropsy findings. 



Clinical diagnoses. 



Meningitis 37 



Enteritis 22 



Convulsions 40 



Beriberi 50 



Bronchitis 27 



Total 176 



Necropsy findings. 



Cholera 40 



Beriberi 97 



Pneumonia 14 



Enterocolitis 7 



Meningitis 4 



Nephritis 2 



Empyema 2 



Acute tonsilitis, pharyngitis 



and bronchitis 1 



Cerebral haemorrhage 1 



Undetermined 8 



Total 176 



