"Dear Doctor: Owing to the large number of medical practitioners called to military service, the Department of Public Health feels that it may be somewhat hampered in the protection of the public health during the coming winter ... we are more especially concerned with diphtheria ... the experience of the Department before and after the introduction of diphtheria antitoxin has shown a decrease in the case death rate of this disease from 51.8 per cent to 12.1 per cent .... We ... have reason to believe that every death from this disease can be prevented ... "