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that they are always ready to co-operate with the Medical Officer of Health in
doing their best for all persons suffering from infectious disease; but they
expressed the opinion that the provision of an ambulance, preferably a motor
one, kept in readiness at the hospital would enable patients to have the escort
of a trained nurse and to reach the hospital without delay and be promptly
injected by the Superintendent (Dr. Cook) with antitoxin under more favourable
conditions than can be obtained in the houses of the poorer people.
Widal's Test was applied to all the cases of enteric fever.
Return Cases. In his Report for 1910-11, Dr. Cook defines a "return
case" to be "any person admitted from the same house to which we have
discharged a scarlet fever patient within a period of six weeks." During the
year 1913 there have been 11 families in which return cases have occurred. Dr.
Cook estimates the percentage of return cases during 1912-13 as 4.56, compared
with 2.63 for the previous period.
Besides, one scarlet case occurred after the return from our hospital of a
patient who had been treated for diphtheria; one diphtheria followed the return
home of a case of scarlet fever; and a mother and child were attacked with
diphtheria, after the latter had returned from hospital after treatment for
scarlet fever.
SMALL POX HOSPITAL ACCOMMODATION.
Since January, 31st, 1907, the Middlesex Districts Joint Small-pox
Hospital has been in existence at South Mimms. We must rejoice that,
although precepts have been made from time to time on the Edmonton
treasury, no patients from the district have been sent there yet with small-pox.
The money (£219 16s. nd. for 1913-14) is a premium for an advantageous
insurance.
A motor ambulance was purchased in 1911-12 at a cost of £415.
The Local Government Board issued an Order, dated 18th August, 1911,
authorising the use of the hospital as a Sanitorium for phthisical persons.
Dr. Ta'Bois, the Resident Medical Superintendent, informs me that there
are 70 beds in the permanent buildings, and 126 more can be put in the
buildings of wood and corrugated iron. The beds in the permanent building
are supposed to be reserved for cases of small-pox. The 126 beds in the
temporary buildings have been used as a sanitorium for tuberculous eases since
July 20th, 19x2, and on August 10th, 1912, the first cases were received from
the Middlesex Insurance Committee, on whose behalf the Public Health
Committee of the County Council had secured certain accommodation. The