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18
The Hospital Committee consider themselves fortunate
in the officers and staff generally, particularly as the rapidity
with which appointments had to be made precluded
minute enquiries as to antecedents.
As might be expected, there were a few exceptions, e.g.,
one nurse was dismissed for theft, another for general bad
behaviour, and a porter for drunkenness; but with these
exceptions the staff worked harmoniously and well.
Number of Patients Treated.—There were treated in
the Hospital, from first to last, 280 cases of scarlet fever,
and 9 cases of diphtheria.
The number of cases actually in the Hospital, at
successive dates, was as follows:—
July 3 26
„ 16 39
„ 24 74
„ 27 84
„ 31 94
Aug. 9 96
„ 15 92
„ 23 80
„ 30 76
Sept. 6 75
„ 13 88
„ 20 89
Sept, 27 100
Oct. 4 104
„ 11 109
„ 18 125
„ 25 105
Nov. 1 108
„ 8 86
„ 15 67
„ 22 40
Dec. 6 12
„ 20 0
Mortality.—Two deaths from diphtheria and 23 from
either scarlet fever or from measles after scarlet fever
occurred.
The crude mortality of a Scarlet Fever Hospital
affords but little information, unless the mortality is
worked out for each sex and for various age periods.
The mortality of male babies under one year of age
from scarlet fever, is, for example, about 27 per cent. of
those attacked; the mortality of female babies under one
year of age is 36 per cent. of those attacked.
The mortality from scarlet fever of adults from 20 to
25 is about 3 per cent. of those attacked. It is therefore
obvious that if it were possible to imagine two hospitals
under similar conditions, the one taking only very young
children attacked with scarlet fever and the other only
taking adults, in the one Hospital the mortality would be