Typhoid fever in the adult and paediatric Indian population of Durban.

The features of typhoid fever in Indian South Africans are described. In children the illness was usually uncomplicated. However, anaemia, thrombocytopenia and hypo-albuminaemia were found in both adults and children. The initial symptoms on presentation of diarrhoea and vomiting frequently led to a misdiagnosis of gastro-enteritis. The previous administration of antibiotics also resulted in failure to isolate Salmonella typhi in 41% of patients studied. Typhoid acquired in the microbiology laboratory and that seen in visitors returning from India and the Far East is emphasised. The S. typhi isolates were uniformly sensitive to all antibiotics tested. The disproportionately high number of Indians of south Indian ancestry presenting to the R. K. Khan Hospital needs to be investigated.

The use of a soy isolate based formula in the treatment of infantile diarrhoea.

Lactose intolerance interferes with the recovery phase in patients with severe diarrhoea. A controlled comparison of a lactose-free soy isolate formula (Isomil) and a standard cow's milk-based formula in 112 infants with severe diarrhoea showed a significant advantage for the lactose-free formula. All the infants were dehydrated on admission and required initial intravenous therapy. The response rate in the two groups was, respectively, 93% and 75%.

A history of the Durban Medical School.

The establishment and the development of the Medical Faculty of the University of Natal during its first 25 years is described. A brief description of the courses offered and the achievements of the Faculty and its students is included, and a plea is made for the Medical School to be retained in its present form.