[Report 1933] / Medical Officer of Health, Darlington County Borough.

  • Darlington (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1933
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1933] / Medical Officer of Health, Darlington County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    45/116 (page 41)
    SECTION D. PREVALENCE OF, AND CONTROL OVER, iNFECTIOUS AND OTHER DISEASES. The year lias been notably free of serious infectious disease, except Inllucnza with pulmonary complications which was rife during the hrst quarter and was mainly responsible for the high death-rate of 17 per 1,000 and which with a birth-rate of only 12 would have caused a natural decrease in population of 5 per 1,000 if it had persisted throughout the year. There was not a single case of Smallpox or Acute Anterior Poliomyelitis, usually known as Infantile Paralysis, nor even a death from Diphtheria or Scarlet Fever. Immunization by the Schick Method in our Nursery Schools in children under live years of age, the prompt use of Diphtheria serum by the practitioners and the immediate admission to hospital of severe cases have brought about this very excellent record. We ha\'e had no deaths now for over two years, a position, however, which can only be maintained if full advantage is taken of all immunization that modern medical science has produced. The slight amount of discomfort in inoculation is more than compensated by the absence of those terrible tragedies once so common. Cerebro Spinal Fever caused three cases and one death. IMeasles and Whooping Cough were due in their biennial epidemic waves and yet caused the comparatively low death roll of eight deaths each. Anioebic and Bacillary Dysentery though reported in Newcastle and Durham have not been found in Darlington. During the past eight years the diarrhoeal death rate has been consistently the lowest in the North-east. Acting on the advice of the Chief Medical Oflicer, with the object of securing that the hospital accommodation available for cases of infectious disease is utilised to the best advantage, the practitioners have been asked to retain very mild scarlet fever cases as far as possible under modified isolation in the homes provided there is a minimum of risk to the community. The average stay in hospital of uncomplicated cases has been reduced to three to four weeks. This has permitted the beds to be used for eomj)licatcd cases of measles and whooping cough, and even for advanced pulmonary tubercidosis cases living in overcrowded homes. Every notification of infectious disease from the teachers of Elementary and Sunday Schools, is transferred at once from the education department to the health department so that complete co-ordination and follow-np may be established. I would like to testify to the enthusiasm of the Head Teachers and Superintendents of Sunday Schools in seeing that contacts and patients receive every attention. Other diseases mentioned in the Circulars from the Ministry of Ilcalth- loeally contracted Anthrax, Epidemic Jaundice, Undulant Fever, Glandular Fever and Fsittacosi-s—were not present as far as my information went. Though no delinite statistics arc available, I have an impression that Hheumatic Fever is not nearly so common as it used to be, in all ^wobability due to better housing, better general tlict and early treatment of delects of nose and throat.