Report of the Scientific Committee appointed by the Royal Medical & Chirurgical Society to investigate the relations between membranous croup and diphtheria.

  • Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of London.
Date:
1879
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Scientific Committee appointed by the Royal Medical & Chirurgical Society to investigate the relations between membranous croup and diphtheria. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    to the queries, a number of pamphlets, letters, &c., containing information were sent. A digest of these replies, and a critical summary of them, are appended to the report. It was, however, felt by the Committee that the results thus gained, though of great value, would be an insufficient basis for so full a report as the subject demands. In many cases opinions only were given without any statement of facts, and a considerable number of important points involved in the inquiry remained without any reply. It was, therefore, resolved that a fresh series of questions should be issued, stating certain definite points upon which the Committee desired information, and that a request should be made for the communication of any facts or cases bearing upon these subjects. Moreover, the experience of the members of the Committee was called in aid, and the data afforded by the large metro- politan hospitals were as far as possible collected. The more important of these have been arranged in a tabular form and are appended to the report. They constitute one of the most important bases of the conclusions arrived at by the Committee, and it is believed that they will form a not unimportant contribution to the known facts upon the subject. The Committee have also been enabled to make use of the recent reports of inquiries made under the direction of the Medical Officer of the Local Government Board into epidemic and endemic diphtheria, and have derived much information from them; and they have to thank the Medical Officer of the Local Government Board (Dr. Seaton), and the Assistant Medical Officer (Dr. Buchanan), for their courtesy in the matter. Other materials, such as records of cases, specimens of false membrane, and of the larynx, &c., from cases of membrauous exudation have been received from various quarters, and have been examined by members of the Committee deputed for that purpose. Reports upon the early history of the subject and of inves-