[Report 1905] / Medical Officer of Health, Swinton (Yorks.) U.D.C.

  • Swinton (Yorkshire, England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1905] / Medical Officer of Health, Swinton (Yorks.) U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Typhoid or Enteric Fever.—Four cases were reported. They were at once removed to hospital, and all made good recoveries. The patients suffering from this disease do not only benefit by hospital treatment individually, but also the public, by their isolation, for our only alternative is to introduce a pail into the yard where the patient’s home is, and use disinfectants freely—-an unsafe and altogether an unsatisfactory method. Diarrhoea.—Year after year, as soon as there is a con¬ tinuance of hot weather, I have to report a number of infant deaths due to summer diarrhoea. One is not surprised; many women of the working classes are unable to suckle their babies, and they find it difficult to prevent the decomposition of milk, although usually taking the precaution to boil it. No doubt the privy middens and unpaved back yards are in a great measure responsible for the rapid multiplication of the germs of intestinal diseases. Phthisis. —• Eleven deaths from consumption were registered during the year, the rate being 0-8. This rate has been stationary for the last ten years, but it is decidedly lower than it was prior to the present decade, and also below the county rate. As is usual, 10 out of the 11 deaths took place about the prime of life. One feels that by the ventilation of bedrooms and staircases, and by constantly pointing out the great danger that lies lurking in the consumptive’s sputum, a further marked reduction of deaths from this disease will take place. Five years ago I advised the voluntary notification of this disease. This year in two cases the ordinary notification fee has been paid, and in two or three other cases 1 have received verbal information from the medical attendant, and thus been able to visit and advise the patients’ friends as to the dangers of infection. In each case of death the premises have been fumigated or cleansed. Other Tubercular Diseases besides consumption caused 11 deaths. These were all children and infants. Probably milk from diseased cows has been the cause of some of these deaths.