[Report 1895] / Medical Officer of Health, Brighton County Borough.

  • Brighton (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1895
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1895] / Medical Officer of Health, Brighton County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    45/50 (page 45)
    Nature of Cases and Results of Treatment.—Of the total 284 patients admitted during 1895, 151 were suffering from scarlet fever, 90 from diphtheria, 15 from measles, ii from enteric fever, and 5 from small pox. Of the 5 under the heading “ other diseases,” 2 were sent in for scarlet fever and diphtheria respectively, i had erysipelas, and 2 patients admitted as small pox had syphilis and chicken pox respectively. Seven quarantine patients were admitted in connection with the 5 small pox patients who were admitted during the year from 4 houses. Of the quarantine patients 4 were kept at the Sana torium for 9 days, 2 for 10 days, and i for ii days, until in each case the revaccination proved successful, and it became certain that small pox was not incubating. The results of treatment for several years are shown in the following table :—* Table XXI. Disease. * Mortality per 100 cases of each Disease under treatment. 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 Scarlet Fever 3'5 3-6 3-3 2-8 2-5 1-2 2-7 3 11 2 0 4 148 2 S 4 4 15 270 10 3 Enteric Fever 8-4 28-5 0 14-8 18-2 14-3 20-0 S 0 1 0 5 2 8 1 4 1 7 1 2 Diphtheria 33-3 60-0 8-8 14-3 3-3 17-6 7-0 5 5 1 2 4 4 3 3 5 0 9 0 Measles 3-5 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 5 0 1 C 1 4 1 15 Small Pox 0 I? — — 0 0 0 3 0 5 Note. —The .small figures show the total number under treatment for each disease. It is important to have regard to them, as percentages based on small numbers are relatively less trustworthy. The treatment of diphtheria has a special interest in view of the fact that the diphtheria antitoxin has been employed during fhe year in all serious cases of diphtheria. The rule adopted was only to use the antitoxin in cases in which the symptoms indicated that there was distinct danger to life. Other patients (including a large proportion of very mild cases that would get well whatever treatment was adopted) were treated by the ordinary remedies. Twenty-three patients were treated with antitoxin, of whom 3 died, or i3'o per cent. Seventy-one patients were treated without antitoxin, of whom 4 died, or 5‘6 per cent. Of the antitoxin cases 4 required tracheotomy, and all these recovered, a succession of successful operation cases which has not been equalled in my experience in any year before antitoxin was used. In all these The case mortality (fatality) is calculated by dividing the deaths multiplied by 100, by half the sum of the admissions, discharges and deaths for the year.