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Small Pox.
No case of Small Pox was notified during the year.
Scarlet Fever.
During the year there were 194 notified cases of scarlet
fever compared with 189 in the previous year. Of
these, 143 were treated in Bow Arrow Hospital, 6 at other
isolation hospitals and 45 at home. Home isolation continues
to he encouraged in the present day mild case
where the home conditions are satisfactory and no occupant
in the house is directly employed on a dairy farm,
or other branch of the milk trade, etc.
There were two deaths from scarlet fever, one an
unnotified case dying in the County Hospital from nephritis,
and, therefore, at some presumably long date after
the infection. The other case died from malignant scarlet
fever in Bow Arrow Hospital.
Return cases from Hospital cases: 3.
Return cases from home nursed cases: 1.
Average length of stay in Hospital: 58 days.
Admitting that the more serious type of cases go to
Hospital, one cannot refrain from drawing attention
again to the fact: that wherever home isolation is possible
scarlet fever patients will be better off nursed at home
until cubicle isolation or some similar procedure or preliminary
quick typing of cases is adopted for scarlet fever
cases admitted to hospital.
Diphtheria.
Fifty-nine cases were notified as against fifty cases in
193G, but the number of deaths (three) remains the same.
Fifty-six were isolated in Bow Arrow Hospital, and three
at home.
The type of disease is severe and calls for early serum
treatment and admission to hospital. The report on a
swab m a suspicious case should not be waited for, but
serum should be given, or the case sent to hospital. This
especially obtains in this area where swabs have to be
sent by post to Maidstone, entailing an extra day's delay
in obtaining a report. The Health Committee has had
under consideration the provision of a local laboratory
for dealing with such things as swabs for diphtheria
orsranisms and no doubt such facilities are needed, but I
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