Contributions to the Immunology and Epidemiology of Certain Infectious Diseases

Underwood, Edgar Ashworth (1935) Contributions to the Immunology and Epidemiology of Certain Infectious Diseases. MD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

This thesis is essentially a treatise on the reactions of communities to the introduction of new types of infections; and the result is a discussion, from experimental, historical, and bibliographical aspects, of a subject which is too often neglected even in these days of the advancement of epidemiology. The first part of the Thesis is for all practical purposes a dissertation written with this end in view. It deals with the experimental work which the writer carried out on the immunology of diphtheria. In the introductory section it is shown that this work was carried out in the area in which the gravis strain of the C. diphtheriae first appeared, and in which it has been most prevalent. Practically the whole of these investigations were planned nearly three years ago; and with the exception of one item (which has since been dealt with) the writer was able to complete the whole of the scheme before he left Leeds to take up an appointment in London. The second part of this Thesis deals with three diseases, influenza, cholera, and the encephalitis which is a rare complication of varicella. These three sections have been previously published; but they are included here because they illustrate, each in its own way, the reactions of communities to epidemic diseases of a new type. The writer originally intended to add an epilogue linking up these different observations, and showing their connections, from anepidemiological standpoint, with the problems raised by the introduction of gravis-diphtheria into a community. It was I found, however, that this discussion was leading the writer far beyond the bounds which he had set for the present work, and he therefore decided that this general discussion mast be the basis for a future investigation. Each of the three papers which constitute the second part of the Thesis is summarized individually. At the end of Part I will be found a very brief resume of the experiments connected with diphtheria, but it will be obvious that only a few of the points which are discussed in the text could be included in this summary.

• Item Type: Thesis (MD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: Medicine, Epidemiology, Immunology
• Date of Award: 1935
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1935-80064
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 03 Mar 2020 09:47
• Last Modified: 03 Mar 2020 09:47
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/80064