Report of the Director of Medical Services / British Guiana.

  • British Guiana. Medical Department.
Date:
[1948]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Report of the Director of Medical Services / British Guiana. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    small number of cases of early syphilis was given an intensive ten-day course of combined treatment with penicillin, mapharsen and bismuth. The welfare branch of this service continued its activities of case-finding and case-holding in a satisfactory manner. The main task of the two welfare officers assigned for duty in this branch of the service was to trace the sources of infection and to bring under treatment the infected individual from whom the patient acquired the disease, and who was often the focal point for many other actual and potential infections. Defaulting incidence, though high, showed a reduction on the figures for previous years. As part of the health educational programme a poster campaign was inaugurated. Posters stress¬ ing the necessity for a “Blood Test for Syphilis placed at railway stations, steamer stellings and other well frequented places, brought a successful response as the initiation of this proceduie was correlated with a substantial rise in the numbei of cases diagnosed N.V.D. Leprosy The number of known cases in the whole Colony was 1,172 as compared with 1,095 in 1947. Of these, 338 were inmates of the leprosarium at Mahaica; the remaining 834 were kept under observation and treatment at the various out¬ patient clinics. Chemotherapy with drugs of the sulphone group achieved a marked degree of success in arresting the disease in a large number of cases. Twenty leprosy patients from St. Lucia were admitted to the leprosarium. All of them responded well to treatment with sulphone drugs and were very grateful for this and all the social amenities they received at the leprosarium The new hospital building for acute cases was completed in December, 1947, and officially opened on 15th January of the following year. It provides very adequate accommodation—10 paying and 36 free patients. School Surveys continued to be a feature of case finding. Of 40.224 elementary school children considered, 74 cases of early tuberculoid leprosy were detected and treated at the outpatient clinics. It is very unlikely that, as a result of this early treat¬ ment, any of them will ever have to be institution¬ alized at the leprosarium. V. PUBLIC HEALTH A. SANITATION During the year the Central Board of Health has been actively engaged in maintaining and improving where needful, general health standards and conditions in the rural areas of the Colony. Interest has also been maintained in the health of communities residing in the interior areas. (i) Routine Work The principal statistics indicative of the routine activities of the Board are as follows: — (a) Domiciliary inspections 116,108 (b) Inspection of special type premises—provision shops. bakeries and cow-pens 7,217 (c) Annual re-certification in respect of rice factories 186 (d) Approval of new7 cocon6t-oil factories 27 (e) Approval of building applications 1,176 (f) Plans re layout of lands .. .. 85 (g) Certificates relating to com¬ pletion of the prescribed preparatory works in connection with (f) .. .. .. • • 64 Restriction of the erection of new buildings to properly laid out sites was continued, though at the same time the wartime policy of relaxing on this requirement, subject to certain stipulations has had to be extended for another year. Apart from the building permits issued as at (e), a further 160 were granted by virtue of this Policy. A total of 159,549 samples of foodstuff were examined during the year, and 158 prosecutions resulted. (ii) Special Investigations The following were subjects of special investigation by the Board’s Executive Officers and subsequent report to the Board for consideration and appropriate action: — Sanitary and general health conditions obtaining at— (a) Lands between Mahaica and Mahaicony, East Coast, Demerara. (b) No. 28 Village, West Coast, Berbice. (c) Plantations Belle Plaine and Sarah, Wakenaam, and similar properties in the Islands of Wakenaam and Leguan, Essequebo. (d) The Whittaker Dam, Upper Corentyne, Berbice. (e) The Buxton and Friendship Villages, East Coast, Demerara. (f) Windsor Forest Settlement, West Coast, Demerara. (iii) Establishment of Schools Throughout the year applications for permission to establish schools in terms of Section 60 of the Public Health Ordinance, 1934, engaged the attention of the Board. It is to be observed, however, that due to the lack of the relevant regulations (now under consideration), much difficulty was experienced in dealing with matters under this head B. SANITARY INSPECTORS7 CONFERENCE An outstanding feature of the year’s activities was the Conference of Sanitary Inspectors organised by Dr. L. G. Eddey, then Deputy Director of Medical Services, and held under his Chairman¬ ship in the Lecture Hall of the Public Health Department. The purpose of the conference was to bring: members of the sanitary staff together so that they might be inspired and stimulated in their work, and to provide for them an opportunity of sharing as well as extending their knowledge of the technical subjects with which they are concerned. A total of ninety delegates either holding the Sanitary Inspector qualifications of the Royal Sanitary Institute or actively following the profession of Sanitary Inspector, attended and participated in the discussions. A 45-page memorandum reporting the proceedings of the Conference was subsequently published; and all delegates were supplied with copies, as also a number of other individuals and bodies engaged in health work in and out of the Colpny.