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Zymotic Enteritis or Summer Diarrhoea.—The Borough Council's scheme for control and
treatment has now been in operation for six years—the first year, namely, 1924, from 1st July
to 30th September, and in subsequent years from the 1st June to 30th September.
The preventive work under the scheme is carried out by the staff of the Public Health Department
assisted by the voluntary and paid workers at the Infant Welfare Centres. For the purposes
of treatment, Dr. Carter is appointed to render medical assistance during the Summer months
and an arrangement has been made with the Kensington District Nursing Association under
which the services of the nurses can be requisitioned for home nursing at any time of the year.
During the year 1929, one hundred and fourteen cases of enteritis were notified and of these
fifty were removed to hospital.
The following is a report by Dr. Carter giving particulars of cases of enteritis dealt with during
the year under review.
Zymotic Enteritis, 1929.
The Council's scheme for the treatment of this disease has now been in operation for six years.
Last Summer was particularly hot and dry, both conditions favouring the appearance of this disease,
My report includes all cases of gastro-enteritis which occurred during the period January 1st to
December 31st.
I attended twenty cases in their own homes and paid eighty-four visits. At the Infant Welfare
Centres, I saw thirty cases of enteritis, each of which attended at least on four occasions. At St. Mary
Abbots Hospital, I attended fifty-two cases.
None of the cases treated by me outside hospital proved fatal. The Council's scheme has worked
quite smoothly and no complaints have been received. Many of the mothers expressed their gratitude
for the prompt treatment provided for their children.
Health Visitors' Notes.
The number of cases notified was one hundred and fourteen; of these seventy-three were under
one year of age and forty-one were one year and over.
The number of families in which the patient was the only case was one hundred and two, and the
number of families where more than one case occurred was six.

"Mixed diet" means gravy and bread, or gravy and potatoes with custard or milk pudding at
mid-day meal. The other meals usually consist of cow's milk.
Amongst the notified cases which recovered, forty-seven were of the mild type and thirty-seven
were of a severe type. Twenty-three of these latter cases received the routine treatment in their homes
and fourteen did not.
The date of onset of the disease and the date when treatment began has been carefully recorded,
and it was found that if treatment commenced within three days after the initial onset, no death
occurred. When treatment began on the fourth day after onset, there was one death, on the fifth day
one death, on the sixth day one death and on the ninth day one death.
The notes by the Health Visitors have been very carefully recorded.
Kensington District Nursing Association.
The Queen's nurses under Miss Eales have shown great enthusiasm in their work. They attended
fifty-two notified cases and fifty-five cases of diarrhoea which had not been notified, making a total
of one hundred and seven cases in all. Out of the one hundred and seven cases, sixteen children were
sent to hospital. Only one death occurred in the home whilst the nurses were attending and in this
case the routine treatment was discontinued owing to circumstances over which the nurse had no
control.
Three of the sixteen cases admitted to hospital died. In one of these, the nurses were only called
in when a relapse had taken place; the initial attack received no routine treatment. There have, therefore,
been only four deaths out of the one hundred and seven cases attended by the nurses.
Deaths from Diarrhoea.
There were forty-three deaths from Diarrhoea during the year under review. Seventeen deaths
occurred amongst cases which were not notified or not attended by the District Nurses, and
twenty-two deaths amongst notified cases which also had not received treatment from the nurses.
Nineteen out of the twenty-two notified cases died in various hospitals and three in their own homes.
It will be seen that thirty-nine deaths occurred amongst children who had not received routine
treatment in their own homes or prior to removal to hospital.