+------------------+------+-------+----------+----------+
|Numbers under |Cases.|Deaths.|Percentage|Percentage|
|Observation. | | |of Cases. |of Deaths.|
+------------------+------+-------+----------+----------+
|Inoculated 2835| 27 | 5 | 0.95 | 0.2 |
|Uninoculated 8460| 213 | 23 | 2.5 | 0.34 |
+------------------+------+-------+----------+----------+
If the inoculated had been attacked equally with the uninoculated
throughout the period of observation, they would have had 71 cases
instead of 27.
These inoculations belong to the early part of 1899. During the rest
of the year, inoculations were made in India, Egypt, and Malta: the
results are given in an appendix to the Report of the Royal Army
Medical Department, 1899. (See _British Medical Journal_, 21st
September 1901.) The great majority of the troops tabulated were in
India. Of the troops stationed at Malta, 61 were inoculated, 2456 not
inoculated; among the former there were no cases, among the latter
there were 17 cases and 5 deaths. In Egypt, of 4835 troops, 461 were
inoculated; among these there were no cases, among the uninoculated
there were 30 cases and 7 deaths. In India, of 30,353 troops, 4502
were inoculated, leaving 25,851 not inoculated; among the inoculated
there were 44 cases and 9 deaths, among the non-inoculated 657 cases
and 146 deaths. Taking the Indian statistics, and estimating
percentage to strength, we find, amongst the inoculated, admissions
0.98, deaths 0.2; amongst the non-inoculated, admissions 2.5, deaths
0.56. The cases which occurred amongst the inoculated men were in the
majority of instances of a mild character. Taking Malta, Egypt, and
India together, it appears that the inoculated, if they had suffered
equally with the non-inoculated, would have had 108 cases and 24
deaths, instead of 44 cases and 9 deaths.
At the end of 1899, this treatment, only just out of the hands of
science, was suddenly demanded for the protection of a huge army at
war in a country saturated with typhoid. Still, the South African
results, and other results during 1899 to 1901, show a good balance of
lives saved. The following paragraphs give all results published from
the beginning of 1900 to May 1902. They are put in order of
publication. Doubtless a few other reports have been overlooked in
compilation; but the list includes all that were easily accessible.
1. _Manchester, England._ The _British Medical Journal_, 28th April
1900, contains a note by Dr. Marsden, Medical Superintendent of the
Monsall Fever Hospital, Manchester, on the inoculation of 14 out of 22
nurses engaged in nursing typhoid patients. Of the remaining 8, 4 had
already had typhoid. The inoculations were made in October 1899. The
following table shows the subsequent freedom from typhoid of the
nursing staff:--
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account