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been definitely proved to be syphilitic by the
finding of Treponemata in the tissues and organa;
3 other were doubtful. It is an acknowledged
fact that in a few cares of definite congenital
syphilis the causative organism is not detected,
and doubtless there were some such among my
cases, but the examinations were as thorough
as time would allow so that I feel confident
that I have not missed many. Even if we allow
A
a liberal margin and cell the mumber 20 out/250
(instead of 13) we only have a percentage of 8.
If we concede even more and allow the 3 doubtful
to count as positive and for purposes of argument say that there were 25 positive, a percentage of 10 only is attained.
·
To make a further allowance for those
surviving longer than a month let us double there figures even then the percentage is but 16, or, if the "doubtfuls" are included, 20.
This is so greatly at variance with the reported prevalence at home, as stated above, that one would like to know on what the diagnosi was based. This does not appear in the report and it may have been founded merely on clinical. conditions prematurity, debility at birth, wasting, and so on, inadequate evidence which
begs the question. If this had been done here, the percentage in Hongkong would also be high, (though I do not think so high as between 80% and 90%), as the majority of the infants here are under weight, and many are wasted, and wizened. At home, I believe, the mothers are examined by the Wassermanu test and in other ways, and if these results are positive the child is regarded as dying from syphilis (an
obvious
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