Annual report of the Department of Public Health / Union of South Africa.

  • South Africa. Department of Health.
Date:
[1928]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Department of Public Health / Union of South Africa. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    29/62 (page 27)
    of unglazed porcelain, and which is extremely diffusible, being dispersed for some distance in the air around an infected person by coughing and sneezing and even during speaking. The whole matter, and the question of protective measures and artificial immunization, calls urgently for further investiga¬ tion. 7. Leprosy.—The policy of the Department in regard to leprosy has been detailed in recent annual reports, and steady progress on the lilies therein indicated has been made during the year. There wyas no meeting of the Union Leprosy Advisory Committee during the period. A collecting and observation depot, analogous to that which has existed for many years past at the Old Somerset Hospital, Capetown, has been established on Salisbury Island, Durban Bay. All cases passing through Durban by rail, instead of being sent on direct to the Amatikulu Institution as hitherto, will be first sent to the depot for re-examination arjd laboratory investigation, cases found to be active and infective being then sent on to Amatikulu, others being returned to their homes. Temporary detention depots for leprosy patients are being provided in several districts of the Transkei and at Estcourt in Natal, and more expedi¬ tious arrangements are being made for carrying out removals to leper insti¬ tutions. One of the gratifying results of the policy of discharging patients in whom the disease is no longer active or infective has been the increasing number of voluntary admissions to the leper institutions. A great deal, however, remains to be done; there are still large numbers of unreporten cases in the Transkei and Northern Natal. Members of the British Leprosy Relief Association and other writers on leprosy have criticised the policy of compulsory removal and segregation, and suggested that this system should be abolished and replaced by voluntary clinics or dispensaries to which sufferers would come at intervals for treatment. This system is doubtless very useful in countries with a large proportion of lepers among the popula¬ tion, but in this country of vast distances, sparse population, and low incidence of leprosy, even in those districts where the disease is most preva¬ lent, it would be quite impracticable. There is no place in the Union where a leprosy clinic or dispensary could be located which would be within reason¬ ably easy reach of a dozen leprosy patients. It has also been suggested that mission station staffs and trained nurses should be utilized to give active anti-leprotic treatment to leprosy patients in their home districts, but the treatment of leprosy by modern methods is essentially a matter for medical men and requires special knowledge of the disease and the technique and dangers of subcutaneous and intra-venous medication. The appointment of a special medical officer mainly or entirely for field leprosy work and investigation is much needed. St. Raphael’s Home, on the Cape Flats, near Faure, which had for some years past been used for the accommodation of the healthy children of lepers and “probationally discharged ” leprosy patients, was closed on 31st January, 1928. The children had previously been sent to relatives or otherwise suitably disposed of. Of the seven cases of “ arrested ” leprosy then remaining in the home, one was placed with relatives (with a maintenance grant) and the remaining six were returned to Robben Island. The following tables summarize the work done and progress made during the year:—