[Report 1898] / Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County.

  • Canterbury (England). City & County Council.
Date:
1898
Catalogue details

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

Credit: [Report 1898] / Medical Officer of Health, Canterbury Borough / City & County. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    'n which these cases happened, 17 were in the neighbourhood of Northgate, 36 St. Dunstan’s, 21 'Wincheap, 25 Central, and 12 in other districts, including 2 at the Workhouse and 3 at the Sanatorium. Dp to the middle of October 22 cases had been reported. About this time a child attending St. Dunstan’s Schools was found to be peeling. An epidemic followed among the children, and 32 cases were attributed directly or indirectly to this one source of infection, and causing the Schools to be closed for three months. This was followed by an outbreak at St. Paul’s Schools, eight cases being the result. Also at the Payne Smith Girl’s School there were 4 cases caused through a child attending the school when in an infectious state The closing of the two schools and removal of the children attacked to the Sanatorium successfully stopped further cases from these sources. Of the 111 patients, 82 cases were treated at the Sanatoiium (including three nurses who contracted the disease whilst nursing there), 29 cases were treated at their o« n homes. Six cases occurred in one house, 4 each in five houses 3 each in two houses, 2 each in fifteen houses, and 1 each in 46 houses. The Epidemic of Scarlet Fever was in many cases of a mild type but this added to the difficult}' of stamping out the disease, as by mere accident some of the cases were discovered. It is therefore fair to assume that children unknowingly have been suffering from the disease and liave thereby been an easy means of spreading it to others. There were however 3 cases of culpable neglect and although proceedings were not taken against the parents for wilful exposure, letters of caution were sent to them. To prevent the spread of infectious disea.'-e in Elementary Schools, some system should be adopted by the teachers of reporting to the Medical Officer on a printed form any case of suspected illness among the children, so that he may follow up the case to its own home, and prevent the children from that home attending school until it is known what the child is suffering from. During the time the Schools are closed because of infectious disease, I would deprecate the custom of schools accepting children from the infected school while it is closed, otherwise the object of closing is fustrated, and the danger of cairying the infection to other schools very great. WiLOOping Cough.—Caused 5 deaths under 5 years of age. 32 cases of this disease were treated at the Dispensary. Measles.—Caused 15 deaths under 5 jears of age. 252 cases of this disease were treated at the Dispensary in the early part of the year. Measles is infectious for 3 weeks, fiom the day of commencement of the first symptoms, during this time the child must be kept isolated in a separate room. Eo healthy child should be allowed to attend Day or Sunday School from a house where measles is prevalent for 3 weeks, and if a second case of measles occur then 3 weeks must elapse from the beginning of this case before any child from the same house is allowed to attend School. It is highly dangerous for parents to visit among their neighbours while their children are suffering from measles or any other infectious disease, or to allow children suffering from such disease to play with other children in the street or elsewhere or to attend school. IDiplltliericl.—Of the 26 notifications from this disease, 2 were imported cases, 5 arose from infection (including 2 nurses at the Sanatorium), 3 of the cases were attributed to broken traps, 1 from neglecting to keep a trap charged with water, 4 from other defects in drains, and 11 no sufficient cause assigned. Ten cases were removed to the Sanatorium and 16 were treated at their own homes. There were 6 deaths, 3 over and 3 under 5 years of age. DiarrllOBa.—Caused 12 deaths under 5 years of age. Plttllisis.—Caused 34 deaths over 5 years of age, against 33 last year. This leads me to speak of Tubercular Diseases which are due essentially to the entrance into the system of a special micrograms, the tubercle bacillus. In every case of death from consumption the room should be thoroughly cleansed and disinfected. The bacillus is conveyed into the system through meat and milk. It would appear therefore that the two things essential to the prevention of tuberculous disease is to boil or sterilise all milk, and secondly the more systematic and thorough examination of the meat. This can only be done by providing a public slaughter house outside the City, where all meat could be inspected, and I would also advocate the periodical examination of the cows by a Veterinary Surgeon, so that he might condemn all cows suffering from Tubercular Disease, and prevent the milk from such cows being sold as food. Influenza.—Caused 7 deaths during the year 1898, and since its reappearance in 1889-90, after an absence of 41 years in 1847-8, it has been with us every year. It is an highly Infectious Disease in its early stage and should be isolated if possible. Return of New Cases of Sickness made by Poor Law Medical Officer, Dispensary Surgeon, and of New Patients received into the Kent and Canterbury Hospital. POOR LAW. DISPENSARY. HOSPITAL IN-PATIENTS, Under 5 years Under 5 years Under 5 years 5 years. and over. ) years. and over. 5 years. and over. Small Pox 0 0 0 Scarlet Fever 1 1 13 0 Diphtheria 4 0 Membranous Croup 0 0 Typhus 0 0 Enteric or Typhoid 2 14 Continued Relapsing Puerperal Cholera Erysipelas 1 1 Measles 1 1 Injurv 15 22 Influenza 10 112 55 Other Diseases 270 1275 587 Total Poor Law.... 299 Dispensary 1429 Hospital. 657 Refuse Removal and Disposal.—The Defuse De.structor is fast approaching completion, when the dust and refuse of the City will be cremated, and help to supply the motive power for driving the engines to produce the Electric Light. This dust and refuse destructor will be a great sanitary gain and save the expense of carting it down to the Sewage AVorks. Electric Ligbt W orks.—Have been opened and the light installed within the City. The supply of electric light into shops will improve the atmosphere and make it healthier for the shop assistant. New Houses.—Several have been built and large building sites have been laid out, showing the increasing prosperity of the City.