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34
Diarrhoea and Enteritis.
Infantile Diarrhoea occurring in children of two years of age and
under is notifiable in this Borough by Order of the Council dated
27th July, 1920. During the year 1926, 125 such cases were notified,
and 8 of this number were admitted to hospital.
Diarrhœa and Enteritis caused 25 deaths during the year, and of
this number, 19 were children under two years of age.
Epidemic Cerebrospinal Meningitis.
3 patients were notified as suffering from this disease during the
year : after removal to hospital, one patient was certified, after inquest,
not to be suffering from this disease. There were three deaths.
1. Male, 5 months. Developed drowsiness, vomiting, loss of appetite
and weight. Kernig's sign present. Examination of spinal fluid
disclosed presence of many polymorphs and gram negative diplococci;
type III meningococcus. Child died.
2. Male, 2 years. At the outset was drowsy and delirious.
Twitchings developed; extreme head retraction. Polymorphs and
Weichselbaum's diplococci recovered from spinal fluid. Died.
3. Death in this case was due to Tetanus, as disclosed at the postmortem,
and not Cerebrospinal Meningitis.
Malaria.
8 cases of Malaria were notified in the persons of ex-service men
who had contracted the disease in the East.
These cases were notified mostly by one medical man. One of the
patients seems to have had a "dual" personality, for he was notified
twice under different names!! In another case notified the Inspector
was unable to trace the person at the address given. In the old days
it was assumed that a man ceased having malarial attacks nine years
after he left the country where he contracted the disease, but experience
after the Great War showed that attacks ceased at a much shorter
period.
Encephalitis Lethargica.
8 cases were notified during the year. There were two deaths.
Apart from enquiries made on receipt of a notification, quarterly
visits are made with a view to ascertaining whether sequelae have