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DIPHTHERIA 



period" (189093), an " introduction year" (1894), 

 and a " serum period" (1895-98). The general 

 mortality, in the pre-serum period, was 41.5, and 

 in the serum period was 16.5. The mortality of 

 operation cases was 60.0 in the pre-serum period, 

 53.7 in the introduction year, and 35.7 in the serum 

 period. The proportion of operation cases to all 

 cases, in twenty-one hospitals, was 47.2 in the pre- 

 serum period, and 27.5 in the serum period. 



Or, if it be better to finish this chapter with one 

 recent opinion of the very highest authority, The 

 Medical Annual for 1902 contains an article on 

 diphtheria by Dr Goodall, Medical Superintendent 

 of the Eastern Hospital of the Metropolitan 

 Asylums Board. He says, " The writer has now, 

 after a very large experience in the treatment of 

 diphtheria, both without and with antitoxic serum, 

 no hesitation in saying that the antitoxic treatment 

 is the treatment." Or, for a final set of figures, 

 there are Richardiere's 1778 cases treated with anti- 

 toxin at the Trousseau Hospital, Paris. The gross 

 mortality was 15.7 per cent. If those cases be 

 excluded that were dying on admission and died 

 within twenty - four hours after admission, the 

 mortality was 11.5. And, of 11 15 cases not re- 

 quiring operation, the mortality was 5.5. In every 

 one of the cases the diagnosis was confirmed by 

 bacteriological examination. 



