[Report 1926] / Medical Officer of Health, Rochester City and Port.

  • Rochester (Kent, England). City and Port Authority.
Date:
1926
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1926] / Medical Officer of Health, Rochester City and Port. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/24 (page 15)
    SCARLET FEVER Seventy-four cases were notified and there was no death. Seventy-one of these cases were removed to Hospital. The average number ®f notifications for the preceding five years is 37'4. The type of the disease was generally very mild. There was no good evidence of any return” case nor of the effect of overcrowding in promoting the spread of this disease. The Dick Test of susceptibility has not been used. DIPHTHERIA Thirty cases were notified and there were two deaths. Twenty-nine of these cases were removed to Hospital. The average number of notifications for the preceding five years is 52’6. The Schick Test was not employed. Fifty-eight Bacteriological examinations were made for the purposes of diagnosis during the year with ten positive and forty-eight negative results. Anti-Diphtheritic Serum is issued free of cost and is available at all hours, day and night. There were twelve applications for this Serum and 84,000 units were issued at a cost to the Corporation of £5/17/7. The cost in 1925 was £3/13/3. There is a tendency on the part of some of the local Doctors to wait for the result of the Bacteriological Examination before giving the Serum. This is inadvisable and it cannot, once again, be too strongly emphasised that any case which is sufficiently suspicious to have a swab taken should have a dose of the Serum at the same time. ENTERIC FEVER Under this heading three cases of Para-Typhoid Fever are included. In all there were six notifications. There was no notification in 1925. Three of the cases were removed to St. William’s Hospital, two were treated in St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, and one at home. All recovered. It was impossible to trace the source of infection in any case. Thirteen cases were submitted to Bacteriological Examination of which six proved positive and seven negative. PUERPERAL PYREXIA Two cases were notified. Both recovered. PNEUMONIA (all forms) Twenty cases were notified and there were fourteen deaths. The average number of notifications in the preceding five years is 14‘2. OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM The following Table gives information as to this disease:— TABLE IY. CASES Vision Un-iru- paired Vision Im¬ paired Total Blind¬ ness Deaths Notified Treated At Home In Hospital 4 3 1 4 0 0 0 ENCEPHALITIS LETHARGICA One case was notified in a person aged 35 years, who recoveied. There was no notification in 1925. ERYSIPELAS Seven cases were notified and there was no death. The average number of notifications for the preceding five years is 10‘2. TABLE V. The following Table shews the number of Deaths from Non-Notifiable Diseases year by year from 1921 to 1926 inclusive :— , Disease 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 No. of Deaths No. of Deaths No. of Deaths No. of Deaths No. of Death* No. of Death? Measles 0 5 3 0 1 9 Whooping Cough 4 2 3 0 5 3 Diarrhoea (under 2 years) 5 2 2 5 2 4 Influenza 11 9 6 7 11 5