[Report 1907] / Medical Officer of Health, Aberdeen City.

  • Aberdeen (Scotland). City Council.
Date:
1907
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1907] / Medical Officer of Health, Aberdeen City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    EACTEEIOLOGICAL EXAMINATIONS. (Table X.) In Table X. is given a suniniary of tlie bacteriological examinations made in the Bacteriological Department of the University by Professor Hamilton and his special assistant. Dr. Laing, under the agreement with the Town Council. During the year, 626 examinations were made of material from cases of disease, exclusive of a few examinations in connection with meat inspection. The number shows a slight decrease as compared with that of the preceding year. The examinations made for typhoid fever included, in several instances, the examination of the stools and urine for the typhoid germ, as well as the Widal reaction. On the whole, the medical practitioners of the city continue to take considerable advantage of the facilities provided in the bacteriological laboratory, but, as has been remarked in former reports, there are still a few who rarely utilise them. Every encouragement continues to be given to practitioners to have bacteriological examinations made in cases where they may be of value in determining the diagnosis. Table X.—Bacteriological Examinations, made by Professor Hamilton, University of Aberdeen, under agreement with the Toicn Council. Year. SUSPECTED DISEASES. Typhus Fever. Typhoid Fever. Diphtheria. Tuberculosis. Other Diseases. Grand Total. Posi- tive. 1 Nega- tive. Doubt- ful. Total. Poii. tive. Nega- tive. a j Total. Posi- tive. Nega- tive. Doubt- ful. Total. ! Posi- 1 tive. qJ be ^ !zi 4^ is a j Total. 1907 10 98 0 108 81 181 0 262 60 186 0 246 10 626 1906 7 80 0 87 144 195 0 .339 84 178 0 262 3 691 1905 93 214 0 307 8 76 0 84 104 124 0 228 83 182 0 265 1 885 1904 17 95 0 112 160 162 0 322 83 154 0 237 7 678 1903 24 105 1 130 180 150 0 330 60 95 0 155 4 619 1902 31 79 1 111 162 131 3 296 67 128 0 195 3 605 1901 139 58 2 199 104 172 i 283 61 81 0 142 9 633 1900 lOS 48 6 162 74 95 4 173 37 64 0 101 4 440 1899 152 37 6 195 92 127 13 232 32 52 0 84 3 514 It is apparent that the bacteriological work associated with a public health department is not unlikely to increase considerably in future, as, for example, in regard to the diagnosis of cases of typhoid and typhoid-carriers. The Widal test is no longer sufficient, and direct examination of the blood for the typhoid organism, and of the stools or urine, is required not only for an early diagnosis of a case, but also to determine when the case becomes free from infection. Judging from the recent experience of some observers, it would appear to be almost incumbent upon a Local Authority, before discharging a typhoid case from hospital or releasing it from home isolation, to have repeated examinations made of the