DIPHTHERIA ANTITOXIN 



127 



The cases were not selected : the antitoxin was given 

 in every case that was proved, by bacteriological 

 examination, to be diphtheria — with the exception 

 of 20 cases where the children were just dying 

 when they were brought to the hospital. No 

 change was made either in the general treatment 

 or in the local applications to the throat ; these 

 were the same that had been used in former 

 years : le strum est le setcl Mment nouveau 

 introduit. 



In 1890-1893, before the serum - treatment, 

 3971 children were admitted to the diphtheria 

 wards, and 2029 of them died. The percentage 

 of these deaths was — 



In 1890 . . 55.88 

 „ 1891 . . 52.45 



1 



892 47,64 J 



Average = 51.71. 



48.47 



The serum was used from 1st February to 24th 

 July 1894. During this period 448 children were 

 admitted, of whom 109 died = 24. 5. 



During the same period (February to June) the 

 Trousseau Hospital, where the serum was not 

 used, had 520 cases, with 316 deaths = 60.0. 



The cases at the Hospital for Sick Children 

 must be divided into those that required tracheo- 

 tomy and those that did not require it : — 



Mortality among Cases not requiring Tracheotomy. 

 In 1890 . . 47.30 > 



:Z : : S? - »*• 



n 1893 • • 32.02 J 



