View report page

1. " That before investigation into causes the return cases
were 339, giving a percentage of 3.4 on the total discharges from
hospital, 3.8 per cent, being scarlet fever and 2.3 per cent,
diphtheria.
2. That after inquiry it was found that 123 cases or 36 per
cent, were not return cases, or at least furnished no evidence in
support <">f their being return cases; that 36, or 10 per cent.,
were cases of a doubtful nature, in which it was impossible to
decide whether they were return cases or not, that 17, or 5 per
cent, were cases in which it was impossible to dissociate infected
clothing or house infection from personal infection ; and that 159,
or 47 per cent., were probably return cases which gave on the
total discharge a percentage of 1.6 instead of 3.4.
3. That there were 111 primary infective cases, a number
which is equal to 11 per cent, on the total discharges, 1.3 being
scarlet and .5 being diphtheria.
4. That the percentage of the primary infective cases
varies from .5 to 1.3 in the different infectious hospitals of the
Board.
5. That 80 per cent, of the primary infective cases are connected
with discharges from mucous membranes, the discharges
from the nose in scarlet fever forming 40 per cent, of the cases
and in diphtheria 28 per cent.
6. That warm baths immediately before the patient is sent
out of hospital do not remove this infection, and that warm baths
and exposure in the winter to the vicissitudes of the weather
contribute to the increase of the infection, and bring back
rhinorrhœa and otorrhœa.
7. That mere duration of detention in hospital is no standard
as to the limit of infection, and no guarantee that the patient
shall be freed of infection, and that long detention in infective
wards will not reduce the percentage of return cases.
8. That the discharges from mucous membranes on which
infection has been sown are probably the carriers and not the
causal agents of infection, and that local and antiseptic treatment