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15
be carried for some time after the initial infection by the convalescent carrier. The
great majority of cases in this Borough were treated at home by the family practitioner.
It was only in exceptional cases, especially where for one reason or another
the bacillus was carried for an unusually long time, that arrangements were made
in conjunction with the Regional Hospital Board authorities for the patient to be
treated in hospital.
Dysentery of this type does not appear to be spread generally through contaminated
food, but the mode of spread appears to be one that should rather be
dealt with by sanitary and hygienic precautions. The tendency, therefore, is for
families to be affected, and also where very young children are grouped together as
in day nurseries the most stringent hygienic precautions must be taken if Sonne
dysentery is not to be introduced unknowingly into the nursery with the possibility
of consequent spread to other children.
In view of the desirability of obtaining further information and better
notification of food poisoning and dysentery, all medical practitioners in the
Borough and medical officers of hospitals were circularised by the Medical Officer
of Health, pointing out the obligation of doctors to notify food poisoning under the
Food & Drugs Act, 1938, and also pointing out both to doctors and patients who
may be suffering from food poisoning that immediate information greatly assists the
Department in the task of investigation. In fact, delay in obtaining information
may render it impossible to ascertain the circumstances in which the outbreak
originated.
Scabies and Vermin.
Benzyl benzoate continues to be the treatment of choice for Scabies and
proprietory 2 per cent. D.D.T. emulsion for the treatment of verminous heads. Both
of these preparations have given extremely satisfactory results for their respective
purposes.
Complicated cases of Scabies and special cases referred by the general
practitioners continue to be seen by the Council's consulting dermatologist, Dr. Marre,
at the Scabies Clinic, which is held weekly.

* 22 Contacts were given bath