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54
It seems apparent that medical men practising in the district are
now availing themselves of the facilities offered by the Council, which
is quite refreshing, inasmuch as we may consider an era of intelligent
and scientific medicine in our midst.
Classification of Infectious Diseases.
Infectious Diseases fall into several categories —
(a) Permanent compulsorily certifiable diseases, including Tuberculosis.
(b) Temporary compulsorily certifiable diseases:—Chicken pox
when small pox is present.
(c) Non-certifiable diseases—
(1) Diseases notifiable by School Teachers:—Measles, whooping
cough, mumps, tonsilitis.
(2) Communicable Disorders notifiable by School Teachers:—
Ophthalmia, ringworm, impetigo, scabies, pediculosis.
(3) Suspicious illness:—Sore throat, feverish cold, whooping,
vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, etc.
Small Pox.
It is satisfactory to note that no case of small pox was notified
during the year.
No deaths have occurred from this complaint since 1902, in which
year there were 30 deaths out of a total of 139 cases; in the next year
only two cases were notified, with no deaths.
Vaccination.
The number of successful vaccinations for the years 1912 and 1913
was much less than for 1910 and 1911 and indeed for many previous
years.
Again, the number of children in respect of whom certificates of
conscientious objection have been received is in excess of any previous
year. A sudden increase in this number during 1907 and the following
years is clearly due to the Vaccination Act of 1907, which enabled the
so-called conscientious objector to obtain exemption from vaccination
of his child with much greater ease than hitherto.
The number of certificates of successful primary vaccination, at all
ages, received during the past four years has been as follows:—
1910 2220
1911 2037
1912 1879
1913 (half-year) 898