[Report 1908] / Medical Officer of Health, Tynemouth County Borough.

  • Tynemouth (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1908
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1908] / Medical Officer of Health, Tynemouth County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    The number of throat swabs examined for the presence of Bacillus Diphtheria shows a considerable increase over the pre¬ vious year, while the specimens of sputum fell from 34 to 19. This fewer number of examinations for Tubercle Bacillus cannot, unfortunately, be attributed to an equal diminution in the number of cases of Phthisis present within the Borough, and it is greatly to be hoped that the medical practitioners of the district will in future make greater use of the Laboratory assistance in all cases suspected of being tubercular in nature. The total number of throat swabs examined for the presence of Bacillus Diphtheria was 118. A large percentage of these were “ diagnosis swabs,” and I have still to regret the small number of “ clearance swabs,” i.e., swabs taken at the end of the disease to prove the complete absence of the specific bacillus from the patient’s throat, sent up by the general practitioners. The practice at Moor Park Hospital is to discharge Diphtheria patients only after two successive clear swabs have been obtained, and I would again urge that no child should be allowed to return to school until these conditions have been complied with. A table showing the number and results of bacteriological specimens is given below. Specimen. Result Positive. Result Negative. Total. Throat Swab for B. Diph. ... 44 . .. 74 ... 118 Sputum for B. Tuberculosis 3 . .. 16 ... 19 Blood for Typhoid Test ... 7 . 5 ... 12 Miscellaneous ... (5 2 ... 2 Totals ... 54 97 151 METEOROLOGY. The mean barometric pressure for the various months varied from 29*772 inches of mercury recorded in March to 30*561 recorded for August. The rainfall for the year amounted to 20*01 inches, rain falling on 183 days. During the previous year the total rainfall amounted to 24*94 inches, which fell in 196 days. The smallest monthly rainfalls recorded were 0*8 in the months of June and August, while the greatest monthly falls occurred in March and July, during each of which months the rainfall was 2*77 inches. The maximum temperature was 79°, and was recorded in July, while a minimum of 19° was recorded during December. Details as recorded by the Post Office at North Shields are set out in the following table : —