[Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Barnsley County Borough.

  • Barnsley (England : Unitary authority). County Borough Council.
Date:
1946
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Barnsley County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    disappointing. The danger of incautious use of Penicillin was noted in a number of Service cases who were found to have blood tests proving the presence of Syphilis, several months after having been liberally treated with Penicillin alone. These cases had been treated in the early or relatively early stages of Syphilis and showed “Positive Bloods’’ either for the first time or as a relapse in positivity. The oily suspension of Penicillin has to a marked degree replaced the aqueous preparation in the treatment of Venereal disease. Efforts are now being made to increase the unitage per C.C. of this preparation. This would be an important, advance as injections of such oily solutions are painful in direct proportion to the amount injected. The number of ‘defaulters’ remains high. During the year under review one of the female patients ceased attending for treatment before directed to do so. She was later prosecuted and sentenced to detention in an institution where treatment might be carried out without interruption. A brief account of this trial and its result was published in the Press. As a result of this publication nine men presented themselves at the Special Treatment Centre for examination. So far, three have been proved to have contracted Syphilis and two. Gonorrhoea. The observation of the others proceeds. The treatment of certain types of Syphilis by intensive Penicillin treatment in hospital has proved very satisfactory. The wards at Kendray Isolation Hospital provided for this therapy have been utilised as much as the shortage of trained staff permitted. An incubator was installed at the special treatment centre during the year. It is used for cultures during the “ tests for cure ’’ periods in the treatment of Gonorrhoea. Certain associated equipment has not yet been delivered and so the incubator can not be used to the extent desired. A refrigerator for the storage of culture materials and Penicillin remains an urgent necessity. A new ‘dark ground’ outfit, long on order, has not yet been delivered at the time of writing. It is hoped that when the Public Health Dental Personnel is augmented a special dental clinic for special treatment patients will be organised. Patients on “heavy metal’’ therapy need periodic dental overhaul. It is too much to expect that every syphilitic patient will inform his priv te dental practitioner of his disease if for no other reason than the belief that the dentist may decline to treat them. On the other hand, it is unfair to the dentist, who not knowing the facts, may run the risk of accidental infection, or in occasional instances injury to his practice. Eighteen cases were reported under Regulation 33B. The Venereal Diseases visitor paid visits to 203 cases who had ceased attendance during the year. Six cases which had been reported on Eorm 1. (Regulation 33B) were persuaded to attend the clinic for examination. In one case the patient ceased attendance after several treatments. Four cases who had been reported on two Forms 1, were served with the notice required under the Regulations and attended for examination and are under treatment. The Visitor finds that the most difficult cases are those patients with children who also should be receiving regular treatment and that they are invariably non- attenders. The excuse for non attendance is very frequently given as “ inclement weather, poor transport conditions and so on’’. During 1947 it is hoped that the visitor will be able to devote more time to the visitation of defaulting patients with a view to securing their more frequent attendance at the Clinic.