Personal Details Name: Miss Hester van der Merwe Born in camp? No Place of death: Heilbron RC Age died: 2 years Died in camp? Yes Cause of death: pneumonia Gender: female Race: white Marital status: single Nationality: Free State Registration as child: Yes Unique ID: 1933 Camp History Name: Heilbron RC Illness Hospital: Heilbron RC Reason: pneumonia Date arrival: 8/7/1902 Description: 13/7/1902; epr Tregaskis, PMO, Heilbron to CSRC: Enclosed please find membranous material taken today from the trachea 14 hours after death of Hester vd Merwer for bacteriological examination. 'Two deaths have occurred recently in which the first symptoms were alike. Obstructed breathing, croupy cough, fever. In each case nothing was seen in the fauces [?] & no membrane was expelled. The first case developed Pneumonia and died rapidly. The second case from which the enclosed specimen was taken died on 5th day of illness from heart failure. The breathing was throughout obstructed, cyanosis slightly marked, small quantities of thick mucus was expelled on coughing, no dullness on percussion over chest, harsh mucuous rales heard on auscultation chiefly among main Bronchi. Temperature rose to 103 on third day of illness then fell & remained about 99. Since the physical signs do not sufficiently explain the rapidly fatal end of these cases I am lead to suspect diphtheria. I should therefore be glad to know the result of the Bacteriological examination . . .' Out patient: Yes Sources Title: SRC 26 Type: Correspondence Location: VAB Reference No.: 26 Dates: July 1902 Notes: RC9239, 13/7/1902: Dr Tregaskis to CSRC

Acknowledgments: The project was funded by the Wellcome Trust, which is not responsible for the contents of the database. The help of the following research assistants is gratefully acknowledged: Ryna Boshoff, Murray Gorman, Janie Grobler, Marelize Grobler, Luke Humby, Clare O’Reilly Jacomina Roose, Elsa Strydom, Mary van Blerk. Thanks also go to Peter Dennis for the design of the original database and to Dr Iain Smith, co-grantholder.