[Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Cardigan.

  • Cardigan (Wales) n 82058909.
Date:
1937
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1937] / Medical Officer of Health, Cardigan. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Borough of Cardigan. ^ Medical Officer of Health’s Report for 1937. I beg to subinit my Report for the year 1937 on the health and sanitary conditions of the Borough of Cardigan. ■* The Borough of Cardigan is clustered round the River Teifi on both banks, part of which is really in the (Jounty of Pembroke (although administered by the County of Cardigan), • and has a total area of 4,520 acres. The mid- summer estimated resident population was 3173. The number of inhabited houses at the end of 1937 was 998, and the total rateable value was £12,673, and the amount brought in by a penny rate is £48 19s. 9d. Cardigan and the area is purely agricultural; there are no works or industries. During the year 1937 there were 35 live births, of which 16 were males and 19 w^ere females. Of these numbers 15 males were legi- timate and 1 illegitimate, 15 females were legitimate and 3 illegitimate. There w^ere 4 still births, of which 1 was male and 3 were female, all of w^hich were legitimate. Five babies under one year died, of hich 1 was a male and 4 were females, all being legitimate. The deaths from all causes numbered 53. One male, and 2 females died from cancer; 1 male died from tuberculosis of lungs; 1 female died from tuberculosis (other than re- spiratory) ; 2 males and 1 female died from influenza; 1 female died from w^hooping cough; 2 females died from j)remature birth; 1 male under two years of age died from diar- rhoea; 4 males and 11 females died from heart disease ; 1 male and 1 female died from other circulatory diseases; 2 males and 5 females died from cerebral haemorrhage; 1 female died from suicide; 1 male and 1 female died from senility; 1 male and 2 females died from nephritis; 1 male died from respiratory disease; 1 female died from liver disease; 1 female 'lied irmn ofhei digesfcivt, disease; 5 males and 3 females died from other defined diseases. The Notifications of infectious diseases re- ceived during the year were 4 cases of i ncu- monia and 1 case of puerijeral pyexia. In addition to their notification, I received Noti- fication of 6 cases of respiratory tuberciicsi’s and 3 cases of tuberculosis of other parts of the body. There are no facilties (no isolation hospital) for the efficient isolation of cases of infectious disease. All infectious cases have to be nursed in the patient’s home and the isolation attended to by the patient’s own doctor, the Medical Officer of Health and the Sanitary Inspector. In the past several abortive schemes have been made to get the surround- ing areas to join to have one common isolation hospital, but nothing ever came of the sug- gestions. The Borough of Cardigan has one Medical Officer of Health (part-time), one Sanitary Inspector (also part-time). There are no laboratory facilities, all speci- mens being sent away for examination, gen- erally to the Beck Laboratory, Swansea, An ambulance is stationed at Cardigan Hos- pital which may be used for all cases which are not infectious diseases cases. There are two fully trained nurses in the Borough, both of whom have their C.M.B. Ckirtificate, as well as General State Registra- tion. One of these nurses attends to ailments in the patient’s home ,and the other attends to midwufery cases only. At Cardigan Hospital a Child’s Welfare Clinic is held, apd also a Tuberculosis Clinic and a Mental Disease Clinic. There is a small but efficient Hospital in Cardigan which admits medical, sur^i^^al and difficult or abnormal cases of midwifery. No cases of infectious disease are admitted and should such develop in an in-patient in the Hospital, that patient must be removed forth- with. (1) WATER. The Coucil have not yet taken steiis to harness the new' source of supply at Bryn-Pedr Farm, Verwig, near Cardigan. The existing supply has sufficed the need of the town up to the present time. I would point out that should there be a serious out- break of fire in the towui and the only water available is from the water main, the town w'ould suffer, as the storage available is verv small to meet the requirements under such circumstances. Cardigan is benefiting to-day from the exceptional downpour of rain ex- perienced in this part of the country during the 1936-37 winter. Should we experience a period of three years drought like we experi- enced prior to 1936 I have no hesitation in stating that the supply from the present sources at Crugdu, Crugefa and Pant-y-dwr wdll not be sufficient to meet the requirements of the towm. The consumption is steadily in- creasing, and it may sooner than one would