[Report 1921] / Medical Officer of Health, Middleton Borough.

  • Middleton (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1921
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1921] / Medical Officer of Health, Middleton Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Generally the cases were of a mild type, and in many the signs atypical. The clinical signs were, sudden onset, headache, vomiting, sore throat and rash, followed in second week by peeling, but all of these signs were not always present. A sore throat with subsequent peeling being of not an unusual occurance. Missed cases occurred, and were no doubt the cause of infection. (b) Influenza was general, late in the end quarter of the year. It assumed the type, although of a milder form of the epidemic in 1918. The clinical signs were headache, sore throat, cough, general malaise, temperature and pains in back and limbs. The complication was chiefly respiratory, and a number of Influenzal Pneumonias occurred. The age incidence was greatest under 30. (c) Chicken-pox occurred in mild epidemic form in the first six months of the year. (d) Tuberculosis was notified in 47 cases, (e) Malignant Disease accounted for 36 deaths during the year. No information is received of the number of cases living in the borough. Hygienic habits, attending to the beginnings of disease before pathological conditions develop, and early diagnosis are important factors in dealing with this problem. Cancer is one of the chief causes of death. Notification is required, and investigation of each case would serve to focus public attention on the importance of early treatment and the necessity for prevention. Cancer is a growth consisting of glandular tissue of a degenerative type. It grows quickly, permeates into surrounding tissues and has a tendency to form secondary growths in other parts of the body.