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46
practitioner who may require to administer the serum either as
a prophylactic or for treatment.
During the year 63 tubes were issued, 41 of these being
for treatment, and 22 for prophylactic purposes. No charge
is made when the practitioner certifies that the patient is unable
to afford the cost.
Enteric Fever.—The notifications included under this heading
numbered 45, compared with 13 in the previous year. This
figure may seem rather alarming until it is explained that cases
of paratyphoid B, a comparatively mild form of the disease, are
included.
Nine cases were notified as Typhoid or Enteric Fever, and
one of these proved fatal. In six of these cases the clinical
diagnosis was confirmed by the agglutination test of a specimen
of the patient's blood1. In four instances it was suspected that
the disease was contracted whilst travelling abroad or in other
parts of the country.
Thirty-six cases were notified as Paratvohoid, and in 28
instances this diagnosis was confirmed by the blood test. All
the patients recovered. One patient was notified whilst an inmate
of a local Hospital, his actual residence being in another
district, and another patient had been an in-patient of a Hospital
for several weeks before the onset of the disease occurred.
Seventeen of the cases were associated with an outbreak which
occurred in an adjoining Borough, the cause of which was contaminated
food.
Puerperal Fever.—Ten cases of this disease were notified
five of which were treated in Hospital. None of the cases
terminated fatally.
Pneumonia.—The Public Health (Pneumonia, etc.) Regulations,
1918, require the notification to the Local Authority of
Acute Lobar Pneumonia and Acute Influenzal Pneumonia. During
the year 128 cases were notified. The Regulations in question
empower the Local Authority to provide nursing assistance in
the home, and for this purpose arrangements have been made