76
Medical Report of Parel Plague Hospital, dated 4th.
July, by Surg-Capt. G. S. Thomson, I.M.S.—(continued).
M. HAFFKINE'S OASES.
The first acute plague case admitted was treated by M. Haffkine with his
curative serum. A clerk, aged 23 years, ill since 10 p.m. on the 24th of February,
was admitted on 25th at 7a.m. and injected at 11 a.m. with 10 ccms. of serum;
again injected at 11 a. m. on 26th February by 10 ccms. of serum. He died at 2 p.m.
on 27th February. This was an ordinary, mild case of plague. After the injections
his temperature rose to 106 4°F., and the pain in the right femoral bubo became very
great ; this patient, indeed, complained more of violent pain than any ever seen in
hospital. His delirium increased with jactitation, rapid respiration, vomiting, uncon-
sciousness, stupor, and coma ending in death.
Two cases (one given in detail) were admitted with plague following prophylactic
injection by Haffkine's serum. The other case was a male, aged 20 years, Ganu
Govind, admitted 2nd April with plague and a huge left inguinal bubo. He had
applied marking-nut and the bubo subsequently increased and sloughed out en masse.
He had been injected once in the left arm about a month before being
attacked, and a small hard nodule was detectable at the point of inoculation.
The case was a mild one of the common type, and ended in recovery on the 58th
day after admission ; convalescence being delayed by the deep ulcer in the groin.
The acute symptoms subsided on the 5th day, and he had no sequelæ or complications
except the ulcer. Another case was seen amongst transfers from other hospitals ;
affected 10 or 11 days after the first and only inoculation, and he recovered.
The cases seen at Parel were mild and recovered ; but the number met with is
too limited to draw any definite conclusions from them.
History of a Case Prophylactically Injected by M. Hafkine's Serum.
Registered No. 417, Ardesir Jijibhai, male, aged 10, school-boy, admitted
30th April at 5 p. m. from Mombadevi, Dhanji Shera Street, No. 93 house, and
discharged on 7th May.
Came from Pydowni district, Bombay, where he resides with his father, who
looks after his education himself; the boy not having been sent to school, owing
to the epidemic of plague, for some months past. No plague cases had occurred in the
house he lived in ; some luid occurred in the neighbourhood, but not for a long time ;
and he had not been in contact with plague patients or any known source of infection.
No dead rats had been found in the house or its surroundings. He had been
inoculated on 24th April with 1 ccm. of Haffkine's serum in the left arm, which was
followed by slight fever, and he did not sleep that night owing to pain in the arm ;
but there was no vomiting, thirst, diarrhœa, or any other symptom, and next day he
was quite well.
At 5 p. m. on 29th April (that is, six days after inceulation) he became ill with
fever, headache, and prostration. There was no vomiting, delirium, and the bowels,
were moved twice ; he slept well the previous night. At 7 p. m. a small bubo
appeared in the left groin—painful and tender. He was not thirsty, but took to his
bed owing to pain in the groin and giddiness, and a medical man was sent for who
saw him at 8 p.m. and gave him medicine. At this time the temperature was 102°F.
according to the father's statement.