Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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solving before we can say that in providing a very large number
of beds in an Isolation Hospital we do all that is needful.
No doubt it would be much safer for the community and easier for
those responsible for the public health if all known cases of Scarlet
Fever could be treated in Hospital; but there are other considerations
to be taken into account.
Every year's experience proves that to minimize still more the
volume of Scarlet Fever infection, what is needed is a strict supervision
of our school children, the co-operation of the parents and teachers,
and a reasonable number of beds for first cases, rather than the
provision of a large Hospital with beds for every possible case that
may arise.
I have received from the Resident Medical Officer the following
report upon the work carried out at your Isolation Hospital.
In it will be found Dr. Gallatly's remarks on the utility of the cubicle
pavilion, bearing out the claims made in former reports for this type of
hospital in the treatment of doubtful and mixed infections.
SANATORIUM REPORT, 1909.
ADMISSIONS, DISCHARGES, DEATHS.
Scarlet Fever. | Diphtheria. | Mixed Infections. | Total. | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Remaining on Dec. 31st, 1908 | 59 | 20 | 1 | 80 |
Admitted during 1909 | 370 | 158 | — | 528 |
Total | 429 | 178 | 1 | 608 |
Discharged during 1909 | 375 | 167 | 1 | 543 |
Died during 1909 | 9 | 7 | — | 16 |
Remaining on Dec. 31st, 1909 | 45 | 4 | — | 49 |
The patients are entered in the above table, and also in the following
two tables, according to the disease notified from the Town Hall. In
some, additional information regarding the presence of other infectious
disease was given, and these "mixed" cases are referred to separately
later.
Fourteen of the Diphtheria cases admitted were from Edmonton and
Enfield.
One Scarlet Fever patient was admitted from Loughton.
Three Scarlet Fever cases were admitted from West Ham Infirmary.
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