Medical report / British Honduras.

  • British Honduras. Medical Department.
Date:
[1935]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Medical report / British Honduras. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    30/46 (page 22)
    Quarantine. One thousand, eight hundred and eighty-three persons presented themselves at the Quarantine Office for inspection and the usual observation, representing the crews and passengers of 311 crafts of all kinds. There were 6 offenders against the Quarantine Reg¬ ulations. --s-- TOLEDO DISTRICT, MEDICAL AND SANITARY REPORT Dr. E. C. Savona, Medical Officer. Malaria.—The cases treated were almost entirely of the subtertian variety. Of the 207 cases admitted during the year, 94 were cases of malaria, with 5 deaths. There were four cases of blackwater fever, 2 cases of cerebral malaria, and 2 of malaria algida. Though this is about the usual incidence, there has been an unusual epidemic in Septem¬ ber and Octber, the infections then showing an unprecedented resistance to the thera¬ peutic triad of quinine (parenteral) atebrin and plasmoquin. In these cases, the intravenous administration of salvarsan alone seemed to do any good. On the whole a good amount of relief is given to all applicants, but relapses are very common as these patients soon are discharged. This is due in many cases to faulty hygiene after these patients have left hospital, but in the main to the inadequate attempt to check mosquito breeding. Helminthiasis.—Two hundred and forty-three cases were treated during the year. These are the cases that report for treatment and must undoubtedly represent only an infinitesimal fraction of the real incidence of helminthiasis in the district. Most cases must of needs go untreated and of such as are treated the results are hopeless for the reason that no follow up is possible; and that these patients return to insanitary homes. Tropical Ulceration.—Only a few cases were treated usually with poor results. In¬ travenous calcium seems to be the best treatment but a long stay in the hospital to counteract the effects of a devitalized constitution is also very necessary and almost im¬ possible to arrange under the obtaining conditions. Venereal Disease.—The hope of being able to establish a clinic whereat all cases of V. D. could be treated free of charge is a far one without a larger staff than is at present available. Notwithstanding this, a start was made and an increasing number of patients, male and female, are attending. Unfortunately, it has not been found possible to do any¬ thing more than the usual routine tropical treatment and peroral medication. As it is, there is more scope in this line of work if the issue of arsenicals and vaccines were more generous. Tuberculosis.—Three cases were treated at the Hospital. These were all of the pul¬ monary form, and all three died. Eight cases in all died in the district during the course of the year and these were all of the pulmonary form. As compared with last year, the health of the district has depreciated appreciably. This may be due to the fact that there has been an increased movement in the district since, and also, in the case of the town, because of the slackening in the systematic oiling of the town. There were 278 deaths in the district, of which only 48 were certified. 123 of the uncertified were due to “fever” and these with a few more given as due to “Fits”, “Con¬ vulsions”, and “Dysentery and Fever” must presumably be malarial, so that this, as usual, features as the greatest of killing diseases in the district. A novel feature this year were 13 cases of death from pertussis, a small epidemic of which made its appearance in March and has smouldered ever since. There are also a few cases of measles and epi¬ demic parotitis with a low mortality. There was also one case of alastrim. Vaccination.—With the threat of alastrim past, there was a slowing up of vaccination, 69 successful vaccinations being done by the Medical Officer and 46 by the Sanitary In¬ spector in the course of his quarantine duties. The lymph has been uniformly up to stand¬ ard.