DIPHTHERIA ANTITOXIN 



143 



the hospitals, which in 1894 was 70.4 per cent., has 

 fallen to 49.4 per cent, in 1895. This is a lower 

 death-rate than has ever been recorded in any 

 single hospital of the Board for a year's consecutive 

 tracheotomies. In other words, rather more than 

 50 per cent, of children on whom the operation has 

 been performed have been saved since the employ- 

 ment of antitoxin. In one of the hospitals no less 

 than a fraction under 60 per cent, survived, although 

 the recoveries in that hospital in any previous year 

 did not exceed 25 per cent., and in the preceding- 

 year — viz., 1894 — were as low as 10 per cent. 



"The improved results in the tracheotomy cases 

 of 1895 have also been shared by analogous cases 

 in which the operation was not performed. The 

 percentage mortality of all laryngeal cases has fallen 

 from 62 in 1894 to 4 2 -3 m 1895. 



" Moreover, the number of laryngeal cases 

 which required tracheotomy has fallen in 1895 to 

 45.3 per cent., whereas in 1894 it was 56 per cent. 



" The following tables briefly summarise the 

 foregoing results. As no returns for 1894 were 

 furnished by the Fountain Hospital by reason of 

 the smallness of the numbers, the Fountain cases 

 have also been omitted from the 1895 figures, in 

 order that the two series may be rendered strictly 

 comparable : — 



1 . Comparative Mortality of Laryngeal Cases at all Hospitals, except 



the Fountain. 



Year. 



Cases. 



Deaths. 



Percentage 

 Mortality. 



1894 

 1895 



466 

 468 



289 

 I96 



62.O 

 41.8 



