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Anti-pneumococcic Serum.
Increased use is being made of serum in the treatment of cases
of pneumococcus pneumonia which is usually administered
intravenously. Patients should receive the serum at the earliest
possible moment provided serum therapy is not contra-indicated.
No demand by private medical practitioners for the provision of
anti-pneumococcic serum has yet been made to this authority.
Polio-Myelitis and Polio-Encephalitis.
Three cases of polio-myelitis were notified during the year, two
of these patients were removed to hospital for treatment. There
were no deaths. No cases of acute polio-encephalitis were reported.
The practice of keeping in touch with patients notified in previous
years with a view to rendering them advice and assistance was
continued.
A revised memorandum on polio-myelitis was issued by the
Ministry of Health during the year which dealt with the subject of
precautions against infection and the necessity for endeavours to be
made to discover missed cases in the area.
Puerperal Fever.
There were 17 cases of puerperal fever notified during 1937.
Eight of these cases occurred in hospital, three in nursing homes
subsequently removed to hospitals, and the remaining six patients
were removed from their own homes to hospital for treatment.
As far as could be ascertained none of these patients was a
contact, direct or indirect, of a person suffering from scarlet fever
or of a person who had recently suffered from a sore throat. One
patient died. The majority of deaths from this cause are due
to infection by hemolytic streptococci organisms. The discovery
of the susceptibility of this type of streptococci to the drug
"prontosil" raises the hope that by its use in the treatment of
this disease a fall in the death rate may be anticipated.
Puerperal Pyrexia.
The number of cases of this disease notified in 1937 was 23.
Seventeen notifications were in respect of patients confined in
hospitals and six of patients, confined in their own homes. Of
these latter cases five were subsequently removed to hospital.
Two patients died. No requests were made by private medical
practitioners for the opinion of the consulting gynæcologist appointed
by the Council for the purpose of rendering assistance in diagnosis
and treatment of patients suffering from puerperal fever and
puerperal pyrexia.