Captain DONABEDIAN. Then they took a smear.
Mr. ELY. What is the purpose of a smear?
Captain DONABEDIAN. A smear is to diagnose the cause of the infection,
the cause of the discharge, to see what type of bacteria was present.
And on 9-23-58, report of a urethral discharge sensitivity test. A
culture was taken and reported staphylococcal hemolytic. And the
sensitivity test to determine what drug we have that will affect that
particular bacteria that is causing this. And erythromycin was the drug
of choice.
On page 154, on 16 September 58 he evidently went to one of the
outlying dispensaries, and they said "Send to the mainside for smear,"
which means he was sent to the mainside dispensary to get the smear
taken.
September 1958, the complaint was urethral discharge. They sent him to
the lab for a smear.
And here it says, "Gram negative, diplococci intra- and extra-cellular
morphological resembling neisseria gonococci."
Mr. ELY. Could you tell us, Doctor, generally, what that means?
Captain DONABEDIAN. Well, this resembles the gonococcus bacteria which
causes gonorrhea. And it says here morphologically resembling this
germ--since the only legal diagnosis would be to have a culture made to
prove this or disprove it.
And here for his treatment they gave him penicillin, it looks like
400,000 units, four times a day, for 3 days, and said "Return on Monday
in the p.m., for a repeat smear."
Then on September 30, 1958, "Still has profuse discharge, somewhat
clearer, received course of penicillin ending 2 days ago."
In other words, he had finished getting his penicillin. So for this
profuse discharge, they treated him with chloromycetin capsules, one,
four times a day, and return Monday for smear and culture.