Annual report of the Commissioner of Public Health / Queensland.

  • Queensland. Department of Public Health.
Date:
[1910]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Commissioner of Public Health / Queensland. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    8/16 (page 8)
    A roster of trained nurses is also being prepared for use in emergency, vaccination being a condition of enrolment. The inspectors, staff nurse, and rat gang have also been protected by vaccination. It will be clearly understood from what lias gone before that no system of seaboard quarantine, however thoroughly it may be planned and operated, can do away with the need for effective internal sanitary organisation. IX.—ECONOMIC AND GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS. The severely utilitarian and economic basis of Public Health administration is apt to be overlooked by those who regard the production of actual revenue as the only criterion of usefulness. Its underlying purpose is the prevention and suppression of certain communicable diseases and certain conditions inimical to physical well-being. Each case of these diseases involves an avoidable and unnecessary expense, and a more or less serious risk to life. In the aggregate they represent a heavy and unnecessary annual outlay. The capital of the average worker is represented by his physical health and strength, and industrial development largely depends on the human material available. Large epidemic disasters involve the temporary crippling or stoppage of commercial progress in the community affected, and not infrequently result in the permanent diversion of trade and traffic. Modern knowledge enables these risks to be guarded against, and their evil effects to be cut short or abolished if the means are provided. Against the great majority we can apply precise measures of prevention and suppression. No longer do we tear up drains as a first measure towards discovering the cause of diphtheria or typhoid fever, or seek to explain consumption or malaria by bland generalities about “ climate.” Disease is not to be explained or legislated away ; it has no respect for geographical or statutory boundaries, and it usually gives no warning of its onslaught. Its successful prevention and control is a high 1 v technical process which carries responsibilities of life and death. “ The Health Act of 1900 ” is not a legislative thunderbolt lying ready for the instant abolition, on occasion, of disease and insanitation. Its protective value depends in practice wholly upon the efficiency and adequacy of the means provided for ils operation. These require money and time lor development and organisation, and cannot be hastily improvised in emergency. The Act contains no revenue-producing powers, save those accruing from prosecutions and recovery under statutory orders. Both sources are administratively desirable to avoid, if possible ; and the objective of administration is wholly in the direction of lessening the need for them. I have the honour to remain, Sir, Tour obedient servant, J. S. C. ELK1NGTON, Commissioner of Public Health. APPENDIX A. Summary cf Principal Vital Statistics of Queensland for Decade 1900-1909. (Furnished by Government Statistician.) — 1900. 1901. 1902. 1903. 1904. 1903. 1106. 1907. 1908. 1909. 1. Estimated Mean Population 490,325 505,695 513,612 512,690 519,178 525,728 532,783 541,204 555,171 571,044 2. Number cf Births 14,801 14,303 14,216 12,621 14,082 13,626 14,019 14,542 14,828 15,554 Rate per 1,000 Mean Population ... 3019 28-28 27-68 24-62 27-12 25-92 26 31 26-87 26-71 27 24 3. Deaths under 1 Year. 1,456 1,458 1,424 1,513 1,072 1,029 1,047 1,122 1,043 1,119 Rate per 1,000 Born . 98-4 101-9 100'2 119-9 76-1 75-5 74 7 77 2 70-3 71 9 4. Deaths all Ages . 5,747 6,007 6,204 6,346 5,250 5,503 5,095 5,599 5,680 5,530 Ra'e per 1,000 Mean Population... 11-72 11-88 12-08 12-38 10-11 10-47 9-56 10 35 10 23 9 6S 5. Deaths in Public Institutions 304 388 419 491 399 474 429 562 513 584 6. Number of Marines 3,371 3,341 3,243 2,533 3,078 3,173 3 5S8 4,105 4,009 4,512 Rate per 1,000 of Mean Population 6 88 6-61 6-31 572 5-93 6 04 673 7-58 7-22 7-95 APPENDIX B. REPORT OE HEALTH OEFICER. Department of Public Health, Queensland, Brisbane, 11th August, 1910. Sin,—1 have the honour to submit my Report for the year ended 30th June, 1910. Quabantine. Owing to the pressure of work consequent on my appointment as Acting Commissioner of Public Health on 13th August, I found it impossible to carry out the duties of quarantine officer as well, and Dr. Page was appointed Port Quarantine Officer. My time for the next three or four months was largely occupied in making arrangements necessitated by the passage of quarantine under the control of the Commonwealth. It gives me pleasure to refer to the invaluable assistance rendered by the Secretary, Mr. Mellish, during the period of high pressure at which the Department worked during this inauguration. As it was impossible to deal with all the questions arising without continually working long after canonical hours, the ordinary work of the Department had to be neglected to some extent.