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WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT.
39
WORK OF THE DEPARTMENT.
General.
Staff.-The number of Inspectors was increased during the year from 5 permanent and
3 temporary officers to 13 permanent, two being females. Six of the Inspectors have districts,
and perform what may be called the general duties under the various Acts, the remainder
being reserved for special work as will appear later on.
The usual summary of work performed by the District Inspectors will be found in
Table 30. Owing to the re-arrangement of duties, last year's figures cannot be compared
with those of previous years.
Prevention of Infectious Diseasf..-The visits of the Inspectors with reference to infectious
illness increased from 1,544 in 1900 to 1,855 in 1901, and 3,341 during the past year.
The greater part of the increase was due to the prevalence of small-pox, the numbers for the
four quarters being-1st Quarter, 1,922; 2nd Quarter, 721; 3rd Quarter, 294; 4th Quarter,
404. Small-pox prevailed during the first half of the year, before the staff had been increased.
No record has been kept of the visits of the Medical Officer of Health, which were additional
to the above numbers.
"Letters of Advice" are sent out when patients are kept at home for treatment. In
1902, 114 of such letters were issued compared with 156 in 1901. A special warning is
addressed to all women in charge of puerperal fever cases, nineteen (19) such warnings being
issued last year. The Staff of the Department disinfected 1,020 rooms during the year, showing
a considerable increase over the numbers for the three previous years, viz., 1,227 in 1901,
1,002 in 1900, and 707 in 1899.
Hospital Work.-Last year 032 patients were removed to hospital for treatment, most
of them to the hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board. No delay was experienced in
securing accommodation for any of the diseases. Cases were dealt with at all hours of the
day and night, even as late (or early) as 1 a.m. during the prevalence of small-pox.
The accommodation provided by the Metropolitan Asylums Board comprises 8,000 beds
in all, allocated as here set out:-
For "fever" cases (scarlet fever, diphtheria, typhus fever and enteric fever)-
Permanent accommodation already provided-acute cases 4,598 beds in 10 hospitals.
convalescent (552 „ 1 hospital.
Accommodation to be provided*-convalescent 800 „ 1 „
6,050
For small-pox-
Accommodation provided, permanent hospitals 3,350 in5 hospitals.
„ to be provided* „ „ 540
3,890
The use of the Hospital Ships has been given up during the past year.
Disinfection.-The use of sulphur for room disinfection has been entirely abandoned.
A spray of formaldehyde (2½-5 per cent. solution) is now used in every case before
removal of infected bedding, etc. The spray has the advantages of being much quicker in use,
of applying the disinfectant to the parts which require it (viz., walls, floors, ceilings, etc.,)
in the most effective form (viz., liquid) and of doing no injury to any fabric, metal-work, etc.,
to which it is applied. It may be added that the sulphur process has been under suspicion
for some time past.
\\ here it appears necessary, disinfection of the sick room is followed bv an order to strip
walls, cleanse and whitewash, etc. This work has been required after all cases of small-pox
* Authorised and in course of erection.