[Report 1900] / Medical Officer of Health, Plymouth Borough and Port.

  • Plymouth (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1900
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1900] / Medical Officer of Health, Plymouth Borough and Port. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    46/94 (page 46)
    Syphilis. —Another year has passed without any attempt to bring about legislative enactment in reference to this loathsome and far reaching disease, a disease that is costing the tax payer an enormous sum yearly, and is sapping and ruining thousands of lives. Small Pox.—No case of this disease has occurred in the Borough since 1895. Cases have, however, been received and treated from vessels arriving in the Port and from the Royal Navy. Diphtheria.—A considerable increase in the number of cases notified has taken place during the year, principally due to an outbreak at a private school—13 cases occurring. Of a total number of 58 cases reported during the year, 32 were removed to hospital, 4 cases of which terminated fatally ; the remaining 26 were treated at their homes, 5 of the cases terminating fatally. Enteric Fever.—I have to record a very considerable increase in the incidence of Enteric Fever during the year, due entirely to a somewhat severe outbreak of 80 cases, traced directly to infected milk supplied from an adjoining rural district. The details of this outbreak have been reported to the Committee, and the means taken to wert its extension. The total number of cases reported during the twelve months is 127, those cases not traced to infected milk were sporadic in origin and distributed throughout the Borough ; 6 cases were imported. Influenza. — This disease may be regarded as endemic in this country. It is now ten years since Influenza appeared, and rapidly became epidemic throughout Great Britain. The death toll in the Borough for ten years from this disease has been 475. Deaths were registered each month, with the excep¬ tion of August from this cause, the greatest mortality in any one month being in January, when 22 deaths occurred. I am of opinion that sufficient care is not exercised in the isolation of