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The treatment of children suffering: with whooping cough in outpatient
departments is viewed by many Medical Officers of Health with
disfavour. Surely some, possibly many, of these children are still
infectious. They travel to the hospitals in public vehicles : although
admitted to canteens now provided by many hospitals, some are taken
into eating-places. There can be no doubt that the disease is spread in
some measure by these practices.
Again when a child contracts whooping cough in hospital or at a
convalescent home surely all such children should be removed in an
ambulance or some other suitable vehicle, not in a public conveyance.
Once a child has been taken into a hospital, convalescent home or any
such place on account of its health, it is a very poor result if the child has
to be sent back home still suffering from disease, even if it is a new oneThe
job of improving the child's health once undertaken ought to be
finished. If the child falls ill with another disease and this new disease
cannot be treated in the first institution, it would seem only fitting that
the child should be transferred to another institution.
Fortunately the London County Council fever hospitals accept patients
with whooping cough. Last year 24 children (44 per cent. of the notified
cases) were admitted from Holborn to hospitals of the L.C.C.
Measles.
The notification of measles was discontinued at the end of 1919 but during
1931 I received information of 66 cases of measles. Of these 15 were notified
by school teachers and 37 by medical practitioners; information of 7 was given by
hospital authorities, 4 by health visitors, 3 by parents.
Age.
Nine were under 1 year, 33 were between 1 and 5 years, 15 were between 5 and
16 years, and 9 were over 16.
Deaths.
One child died 2 years of age.
Spread in Family.
The 66 cases occurred in 50 families. In 41 families 1 case occurred, in
4 families 2 cases occurred, in 3 families 3 cases occurred, and in 2 families there
were 4 cases.
Removals.
Forty-three patients (67 per cent.) were removed to hospital, 37 to L.C.C
infectious diseases hospitals, and 6 to the London Fever Hospital.