[Report 1906] / Medical Officer of Health, Ilminster U.D.C.

  • Ilminster (England). Urban District Council. nb2006013900.
Date:
1906
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1906] / Medical Officer of Health, Ilminster U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    the true fadts of the matter. Great harm is often done to business by careless gossip and exaggeration. In the houses of the three other cases were out-workers from the factories. Steps were taken to prevent dissemination by their means, but there is much difficulty in enforcing such orders and probably no sufficient care will be taken till the official penalty of a fine is inflicted. There is also a tendency to look upon the precautions taken as personal unkindness—but the individual must recognise some temporary inconvenience is to be under- gone for the sake of the community ; the person infected is a source of danger; and moreover the precautions advised are frequently advantageous, in the end, to the sufferer also. Influenza. This rather mysterious disorder after two years of comparative quiescence broke out with considerable vigour in November, it is still with us, and has been responsible for much danger and illness. It seems to flourish most where atmospheric conditions are those of dampness and mugginess, and to lessen with dryness and cold, although there are pro- bably many more factors, of which little is known, concerned. It seems clearly to follow the lines of human intercourse, and case-to-case infection best explains the spread. Still, the difficulty of explaining its sudden epidemicity is very great, a difficulty however which it shares with such diseases as measles, mumps, etc. Amidst all the obscurity the correctness of one piece of advice appears certain, i.e.: do not try to “ fight ” it by keeping about, but go to bed early and stop there till you are better. This pays in the long run. The prevent- ative measures that appear of some value are avoidance of badly ventilated and crowded rooms, isolation, fumigations of the rooms, and gargling of the throat with some suitable antiseptic. Most of the drugs recommended in the papers are probably more harmful than otherwise. Maintenance of good