[Report 1897] / Medical Officer of Health, Chesterfield Borough.

  • Chesterfield (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1897] / Medical Officer of Health, Chesterfield Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    15/30 (page 13)
    On November 2nd and 4th two cases were notified from Bank Street. These were followed on December 1st by three other cases in the same house. In the Hall’s Row series I have no doubt that the catastrophe was mainly due to Ifar general slovenliness. Still from these and similar instances, it is perfectly evident that the generally received notion that typhoid fever is not for practical purposes as truly infectious as any other zymotic disease is absolutely without foundation, and the cause of much mischief through inducing a false sense of security among those brought into contact with the sick. Diarrhoea, including the gastro-enteritis of infants resulted in 82 deaths, as compared with 34 deaths in 1896. 68 deaths were those of infants under 1 year of age, and were doubtless mainly due to the ingestion of infected or improper food, and more especially of infected milk. We are gradually accumulating a considerable number of observations bearing on this point, but they are not quite ready for publication. The following facts however are suggestive. Out of 87 deaths under 6 months from diarrhoeal diseases, 27 infants were not being suckled, 10 were being suckled, but 6 of these were also receiving some kind of artificial food. Out of the 83 receiving more or less artificial food, 23 were only receiving diluted cow’s milk, while 10 were also receiving some more or less unsuitable form of farinaceous food. Very little Chesterfield milk is really satisfactory. It is seldom, if ever properly filtered and cooled, and is as often delivered when on the point of “ turning.” Even if sweet when it reaches the pnrchaser, it rapidly undergoes decomposition from original contamination at milking* an unduly high temperature during delivery, and the absence of a suitable place of storage in the poorer class of houses, and from the proximity of privy middens.