View report page

58
Cerebo Spinal Meningitis.—There were 10 cases of this disease notified during the year.
Two of the 10 cases after admission to hospital were certified not to be suffering from cerebro
spinal meningitis or any other notifiable disease. Particulars of the remaining 8 cases are
subjoined :—
Sex.
Age.
Date of Notification.
Result.
1. Male 6 months 12th January Died.
2. „ 1½ years 21st „ Died.
3. Female 10 „ 25th February Died.
4. Male 7 „ 2nd April Died.
5. Female 6 months 27th „ Died.
6. „ 11 years 15th May Died.
7. Male 4 „ 4th September When last seen the child was apparently well
8. „ 6 months 3rd October Died.
Dysentery.—There was one case of this disease notified, the patient being a child of two
years, the daughter of a gentleman of independent means. At one time it was thought the child
was suffering from simple enteritis, but when specimens of faeces were examined bacteriologically,
it was discovered that the patient was infected with the organism of dysentery. There was no
evidence as to how the disease was contracted.
Zymotic Enteritis—The number of deaths from this disease in the year 1925 was 32.
Twenty-two of these were of children under the age of one year, three were of children of one year
of age, and the other seven were of persons over 15 years of age.
The disease chiefly attacks infants and young children during the warm weather, has a very
high mortality, usually comes on suddenly and may prove fatal in a few days if no treatment is
given.
The actual cause of the disease has not been discovered, that is to say, no specific organism
has been found to be present in all cases, such as the bacillus typhosus in typhoid fever. It is
probable, however, that there is an enormous multiplication of some organisms in the intestinal
tract and that the toxins manufactured by these bacteria become absorbed into the blood stream and
so poison the child. In health the anti-bacterial substances in the system can cope with the poison
to a certain extent, but when there is a sudden increase of this poison, the resisting powers of the
body break down and, unless treatment is prompt and efficient, there is a great danger of death.

In order that the Council's Officers should have precise knowledge enabling them to locate
cases of the disease, to trace these cases to their origin and to watch the lines of the spread of
infection during the Summer months, the Council, in 1924, resolved to make zymotic enteritis
in children under five years of age a notifiable disease. The resolution took effect on the 1st July,
1924, and the notifications received since that date have been as follows :—