14
Abscesses, Carbuncles and Cellulitis.—The staphylococcus aureus was the usual organism
in abscesses and carbuncular inflammations. There were three cases of multiple abscesses
from the Lunatic Asylum of Madras where the organisms concerned were streptococci. The
other streptococcal cases were either suppurative pelvic cellulitis resulting from puerperal
infection or acute diffuse cellular suppurations. The result of vaccine treatment in all the
different classes of cases in this group was more or less very satisfactory.
TABLE III.
Abscesses, carbuncles and cellulitis.
Serial
nu
m - b e r .
Case
nu
m - b e r .
Medical Officer.
Disease.
Vaccine made.
Result.
1
5 The District Medical and Sanitary
Officer, Trichinopoly.
Carbuncle . . .
Staphylococcus . . . Not used.
2
21 The Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum,
Kilpauk.
Multiple abscesses . . . Streptococcus . . . Cured.
3
28 The Third Surgeon, General Hospital,
Madras.
Carbuncle of lip and
cheek.
Streptococecus and
staphylococcus
aureus.
Do.
4
31 Dr, C. Mallick, Vizagapatam . . . Abscess
near the
hip joint.
Staphylococcus
aureus.
Do.
5
32 The Superintendent, Royapetta Hos
-pital, Royapetta.
Pyæmic abscesses . . .
Do.
Not used.
6
34 Dr. A. Degenring, Nellore . . . Pelvic abscess . . .
Streptococcus . . . Not reported.
7
65 The Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum,
Kilpauk.
Multiple abscesses . . .
Do. . . . Cured.
8
69 The District Medical and Sanitary
Officer, Trichinopoly.
Boils
resembling
carbuncles.
Staphylococcus.
aureus.
No effect.
9
70 The Second Surgeon, General Hos
-pital, Madras.
Multiple abscesses . . .
D o .
Cured.
10
74
Do.
Carbuncle . . .
Staphylococcus . . . Improved.
11
88 The Superintendent, Lunatic Asylum,
Kilpauk.
Multiple abscesses . . . Streptococcus . . . No effect.
12
93 Dr. S. P. Sarma, Tiruvalur . . . Carbuncle . . .
Staphylococcus
aureus.
Do.
13
95 The Second Surgeon, General Hos
-pital, Madras.
Diabetic abscess . . .
Do. . . . Improved.
14
99 Dr. S. Kumaraswami, Bellary . . . Carbuncle . . .
Staphylococcus . . . Not known.
15
124 Dr. S. P. Sarma, Tiruvalur . . . Diabetic Abscess . . .
Streptococcus . . . Cured.
16
128
Do. . . . Carbuncle . . .
Staphylococcus . . . Not yet
reported.
17
117 The Superintendent,
Government
Maternity Hospital, Madras.
Cellulitis arm . . .
Streptococcus . . . Cured.
18
118 The
Superintendent,
Government,
Rayapuram Hospital, Madras.
Abscess thigh . . .
D o . . . . Not reported.
19
121 Dr. T. T. Thomson, L.M. Hospital,
Jammalamadugu.
Carbuncle . . .
Staphylococcus . . . Temporary
improve
-ment.
20
131 Dr. S. P. Sarma, Tiruvalur . . . Diabetic cellulitis . . . Streptococcus . . . Not known.
Case 21.—One of multiple abscesses in a young patient of 18 years. He was brought
into the hospital with a rigor followed by a temperature of 103°F. The temperature ranged
between 101°F. and 103°F. for the next few days and the patient developed numerous
abscesses in different parts of the body. The streptococcus was isolated from the pus of one
of the abscesses and a course of injections from 2½ to 20 million was given. The temperature
came down to normal and the abscesses healed up rapidly, no fresh ones appearing after the
commencement of the injections. The case is an interesting one, being a streptococcal infec
- t i o n a n d n o t a s t a p h y l o c o c c a l o n e a s i s u s u a l l y t h e c a s e w i t h a c u t e c i r c u m s c r i b e d a b s c e s s e s .
It was very likely a true pyæmic condition, being purely streptococcal in origin.
Case 28 was an acute mixed infection with streptococci and staphylococci. There
was an extensive carbuncle implicating the cheek and lips and looking more like acute,
diffuse cellulitis of the face than an ordinary carbuncle. A mixed autogenous vaccine of the
staphylococcus and the streptococcus (10: 1) was administered in doses of 2½ million (strep
- t o c o c c i . ) r i s i n g u p t o 1 5 m i l l i o n . T h e r e w a s a r a t h e r s e v e r e r e a c t i o n a f t e r t h e f i r s t i n j e c t i o n
with a rise of temperature to 103°F. The later injections however resulted in a steady
improvement without reactions and the patient made a complete recovery after the fifth
injection.
Septic wounds and sinuses.— All the 5 cases treated were purely surgical in nature and
the vaccine treatment was attempted more or less as an experimental measure. Two of them
were sinuses resulting from tubercular adenitis, one was tubercular disease of the shoulder
joint, one a fistula in ano and the fifth a long septic sinus leading into a deep pyosalpinx.
These were really cases that required active surgical interference and the vaccine treatment
naturally produced negative results.