[Report 1906] / Medical Officer of Health, Turton Local Board / U.D.C.

Turton (England). Local Board.

Date:: 1906

Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1906] / Medical Officer of Health, Turton Local Board / U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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when the epidemic terminated. The originating cause was a cellar of house 229 Tottington Road, which was used as a stable and hen house. The place was in a filthy and insanitary condition, the drains were choked and the ventilation was practically nil. As there was persistent disregard of the Notices of Abatement, a prosecution was entered, and a penalty (a fine of £5) was inflicted. During this epidemic 6 children died. One death was also registered in Belmont from Diphtheria, and one in Edgworth from Membranous Croup. Scarlet Fever.—Notified cases 45, which were distributed as follows :—Eagley Ward 4 cases ; one was contracted at Astley Bridge where the disease was prevalent, two through attending public entertainments at which there were many persons from Astley Bridge ; the other case acquired the infection from one of these. Egerton Ward—One case notified which was discovered in the peeling stage ; no satisfactory origin¬ ating cause could be found. Chapeltown Ward—One case, the cause of which could not be traced. Edgworth Ward—13 cases ; the origin in 2 cases could not be clearly assigned. In 3 cases there had been antecedent cases in the same houses in the months of October, November and December of the year 1905. Two cases were in a house in which there had been a case four months previously, and 4 were directly infected from them. One case was contracted at school in Tottington, and one at the Derby Street School in Bolton. Bradshaw Ward—Notified cases 26. Four occurred during January, and were in continuation of the epidemic in the final months of the preceding year, 1905, and included in my report for that year. One was contracted at the Continuation School in Bolton. One was in a house in which there had been a case a month previously. The remaining 20 cases may be conveniently divided into two series. The first, consisting of 11 cases, took origin in the house of a man employed as a Collector of soiled linen by a Laundry Co. The second, comprising 9 cases, had its origin in 2 cases which no doubt were infected by 2 cases in the next house which were in the “ peeling stage ” when discovered when medical advice was obtained for the 2 new cases. Ignorance of the nature of the affection was pleaded by the mother of the children, so that a prosecution was not advisable. No deaths from Scarlet Fever were recorded.