Dr. S. Monckton Copeman's report to the Local Government Board on prevalence of measles, enteric fever and diphtheria in the borough of Lowestoft, and on general sanitary administration in that town / [S. Monckton Copeman].

  • Copeman, S. Monckton (Sydney Monckton), 1862-
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. S. Monckton Copeman's report to the Local Government Board on prevalence of measles, enteric fever and diphtheria in the borough of Lowestoft, and on general sanitary administration in that town / [S. Monckton Copeman]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    In answer to inquiries on my part as to what action had been taken by the Town Council to check the progress of the disease, Dr. Thomas stated that disinfectants were freely distributed to the inmates of invaded households, and that care was taken to secure isolation of patients wherever that was possible. Instructions were also given as to the best methods of preventing the spread of infection, such as the avoidance of indis¬ criminate visiting, and the sending to school of children from houses in which a case of the disease had occurred, until the medical practitioner, if one were in attendance, had certified that there was no further risk of infection. Whether in consequence of the precautions thus taken, or because the supply of susceptible material had become exhausted, the epidemic finally died down by the end of the year, and thus far during the present year no further deaths from measles have been registered in Lowestoft. As a result of the experience through which the town had recently passed, the Council at a meeting held on December 10th, 1895, determined that, subject to the consent of this Board, the provisions of the Infectious Disease (Notification) Act, 1889, should apply to measles, and this resolution was approved by the Board on February 5th of the present year. Enteric Fever. Of this disease 40 cases were notified in 1895, during which year also eight deaths were registered as from this cause. Two of the cases, according to the Medical Officer of Health, were imported into the town: one from London, a school teacher, in whose case the malady had a fatal termination; the other a cooper from Scarborough. Of the 40 cases, 18 were removed to the Sanatorium for treatment* of whom only two died. Six of these cases occurred in December 1895, and these were followed by 10 more in January 1896, and this fact was reported to the Board by the Medical Officer of Health on February 1st of the present year, as he considered that the number of attacks was indicative of epidemic prevalence. After careful investigation, at the time of my visit to Lowestoft, I found it impossible to define any condition other than such as are always present in the locality as responsible for this particular outbreak. Enteric fever, indeed, wrould appear to be endemic in LowTestoft, as may be learnt from consideration of the fact communicated to me by the Medical Officer of Health, that the death-rate from this disease per 1,000 of the population was, in 1895, almost identical with the mean enteric fever death-rate for the previous 11 years, the figures being O'476 and 0*483 respectively. The appended table shows, for each of several sub-divisions of Lowestoft, the actual number of cases of enteric fever during the last six years, with the enteric fever deaths in each vear for the town as a whole. * Enteric Fever Cases at Lowestoet. Estimated Population. Notified Fever Cases. 1890. 1891. 1892. 1893. 1894. 1895. North Ward 7,145 16 12 6 22 11 13 South Ward - 5,721 4 — 2 12 2 8 East Ward - 5,107 5 2 3 7 5 9 West Ward - - 7,189 38 9 6 22 12 10 Port - 2,000 — — — 4 1 — Totals - - - 27,162 63 23 17 67 31 40 Deaths from enteric fever - 8 5 5 6 5 8