Report of the Director of Medical Services / British Guiana.

  • British Guiana. Medical Department.
Date:
[1944]
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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    steps taken with respect to the transports for the front and back lands of Lot No, 64 Village 36. School Medical Service.—A School Medical Service was inaugurated on 31st January under the immediate direction of Dr. C. C. Nicholson, School Medical Officer, who had received special training at the Toronto University, Canada. This officer is assisted by a staff of six health visitors. Preliminary sur¬ veys of schools were carried out during the year and the Service received increasing co¬ operation from both teachers and parents, and has already achieved considerable success. 37. A Health Nurse was sent to Trini¬ dad for special training under Dr. E. Muir, Medical Superintendent of the Leprosarium in Trinidad. She left the Colony on 1st May, and returned on 17th June. Since her return to the Colony she has been engaged in carrying out school surveys and assisting the Medical Superintendent, Leprosy Hospital, Mahaica, in his work at the clinics in Georgetown. The importance of this survey may be judged from the fact that at the end of the year. 6,830 children had been examined, among whom 22 cases of early leprosy were discovered. 38. In October His Excellency the Gov- rnor appointed the Deputy Director of Medical Services to be a member of the Committee appointed for the purpose of advising the Con¬ troller of Milk. 39. Public Health Legislation. During the year the Public Health Ordinance, 1934. was amended by the enactment of OrdL nance No. 19 of 1944, to enable the compul¬ sory detention in hospital of cases of infectious disease in which the patients are not- so housed as to prevent the spread of the disease. The amendment will be of special value in the pre¬ vention of tuberculosis. 40. The Mayor and Town Council, as Local Sanitary Authority of Georgetown, made Regulations under the provisions of Sections 18 and 98 of the Public Health Ordinance, 1934, for governing the conditions and places in which offensive trades lawfully established may be carried on. The Regulations have been approved by the Board and the Governor in Council. V.—PUBLIC HEALTH EDUCATION. 41. Caravan tours were not undertaken during the year owing to petrol and tyre short¬ age. Complete courses of instruction were given by the Health Department in collabora¬ tion with the Municipal Health Department, Georgetown, to candidates for the examinations of the Royal Sanitary Institute, for Sanitary Inspectors and for Health Visitors and School Nurses. 42. On 31st October ten sanitary in¬ spector students (local) satisfactorily completed a two-year course of study. During the year a course of theoretical and practical training was VI.—MEDICAL MISSION 44. In early January a special medical mission under the charge of Dr. P. G. Barrow, Health Officer, was sent to the Mazaruni Dis¬ trict and in addition to a general survey of the health conditions among aboriginees, a vaccin- /VII.—GENER; 45. Nephritis.—The total number of deaths was 599, a rate of 1.6 per1 1,000 in 1944, as compared with 692 deaths, a rate of 1.9 per 1,000 in 1943. also given to ten sanitary inspectors from the Windward and Leeward Islands (4 from St. Vincent, 2 from St. Lucia, 2 from Dominica and 2 from Grenada) and to thirty-four health visitor students. (30 from British Guiana, 1 from St. Lucia and 3 from Dominica). All these students sat for the Royal Sanitary Institute Examinations held in this Colony in November. 43. A two-year course for local student Sanitary Inspectors financed under the Develop¬ ment and Welfare Act was commenced at the end of the year. rO THE INTERIOR. ation campaign was successfully carried out. The members of the mission spent approxi¬ mately three months in this survey. A special report was submitted. L DISEASES. 46. Diseases of the Heart.—There were 604 deaths registered in the Colony from all forms of heart disease as compared with 6 1 3 in 1943.