[Report 1902] / Medical Officer of Health, West Bromwich County Borough.

  • West Bromwich (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1902
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1902] / Medical Officer of Health, West Bromwich County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    necessary all articles are removed to the Hospital and stoved in our Equifex disinfecting apparatus, which has hitherto proved quite satisfactory. A complete system of cross notification is maintained with the educational authorities, and all cases of scarlet fever are reported to the Clerk to the School Board. It is to be presumed that now that the Medical Officer of Health is also the adviser of the educational authority, and that all schools are included, the system will become even more complete. Speaking next of diphtheria and membranous croup, which in future will always be classed together in these statistics, it will be noticed that there is a slight increase in the year over its predecessor, and also in the number of fatal cases. It is, however, to be noted that while true diphtheria is comparatively rare in West Bromwich, an epidemic of scarlet fever is frequently accompanied by a number of cases of exceptionally aggravated sore throat of a diphtheritic character. The death-rate is high, being no less than 27 per cent, of the reported cases. It is interesting to note that a similar excess, both of cases reported and of deaths, took place in 1896 and 1897, which years were also remarkable for the prevalence of scarlet fever. Enteric or typhoid fever only yields 35 cases for the year, of whom six died. It is pleasant to record that this number is less than half the average number of the pre¬ ceding ten years. In view of the claim that cases of typhoid fever should be removed to Isolation Hospitals, I have been much interested to find that some of the most eminent of English physicians regard this claim as un¬ necessary. It is argued, and I agree with the argument, that typhoid fever can be treated without danger to sur¬ rounding patients in general wards, and such is undoubtedly the case in the Hospitals of our large cities. It is there¬ fore difficult to see upon what grounds the victims of typhoid fever should have a right to State or municipal aid while diphtheria remains untreated. Infectious Diseases