Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Report on vital statistics and sanitary work for the year 1898
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drains, &c., was found to be excellent in one case,
"bad" in a second, and "very bad" in the remaining
three. The nurse in one case was an amateur, a
friend acting through goodwill. She had never
assisted at a confinement before, and her appearance
when seen (qud dirt) was such that it is to be hoped
that she will never act as nurse to a puerperal woman
again. One case occurred next door to a house, the
drain of which had been opened for examination two
days prior to the confinement, and was not properly
covered in when that event came off. It is almost
unnecessary to remark that had the prospective
confinement been known, the examination would not
have been made.
SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.
It is generally admitted that school attendance
plays no inconsiderable part in the spread of scarlet
fever and diphtheria. In former years cases of
infectious disease reported among children attending
each school have been recorded without making any
allowance for other factors, such as imported infection,
return cases, &c. On the present occasion, all cases
which could be classified as "return," "imported," or
"secondary," and all known to have been erroneously
diagnosed, have been excluded, and only those
remaining have been tabulated in Table 11. In the
case of non-parishioners, being children residing
beyond the Parish boundaries, but attending local
schools, such elimination has not been possible, and all
cases reported have been tabulated. When there is a