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37
The compulsory notification of Chicken-pox has for its object the detection
and removal to hospital of mild cases of Small-pox, which might otherwise
be diagnosed and treated as Chicken-pox.
ENTERIC FEYER.
There has been a slight diminution in the number of cases of Enteric Fever
dealt with as compared with previous years.
As will be seen by the comparative Table D, Enteric Fever commonly
outnumbers any other disease dealt with.
During the past year, however, it has been exceeded by the number of
cases of Small-pox. In the group of years given Enteric Fever reached its
maximum during the year 1900, when many cases were brought from South
Africa, and the diminished number of cases is partly explained by the fact
that no vessels have arrived from the Argentine Republic with live cattle,
owing to the Board of Agriculture not allowing cattle from that country to
be landed in Great Britain.
Vessels carrying live cattle require to carry a large quantity of fresh
water for the use of the cattle, and it is the usual practice to fill all the ballast
tanks direct from the River Plate. Judging from the condition of this water
as seen on vessels on their arrival from Argentina, that river must be in a very
polluted condition, and it is the custom of the foremen and cattle attendants to
drink the water when thirsty, rather than take the trouble to get other, and
proper, drinking water, which is kept in a place apart for the use of persons
on board.
It is only to be expected, therefore, that many cases of Enteric Fever
occur on such vessels, and as the importation of live cattle from Argentina
will be resumed early in 1903, your Officers will have probably to deal with
an increased number of cases of this disease.
SCARLET FEVER AND DIPHTHERIA.
The cases of these diseases reported have occurred principally on training
ships (see "Training Ships," page 39), but otherwise present no features
of special interest. Only two cases of each disease were admitted into the
Port Sanitary Hospital.