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54 ADMINISTRATIVE WORK.
ADMINISTRATIVE WORK.
Staff.—The Staff of the Department remains unchanged. The usual summary of work
performed by the District Inspectors is given in Table 37. Separate tables will be found
under the subjects of "Housing," "Workshops," &c., summarising the work of the other
Inspectors.
Prevention of Infectious Diseases.—The visits made by the Staff of the Department
with reference to cases of infectious illnesses (notified and other diseases) amounted to 5,107,
4,425 of which were made by the Women and Student Inspectors,* with reference to
cases (or deaths) of the following diseases :—
Measles 2,762 visits. Chicken-pox 274 visits. "Consumption" 393 visits.
Whooping Cough 860 „ Infantile Diarrhoea 106 „ Puerperal Fever 21 „

"Letters of advice" are sent when patients suffering from notified illnesses are kept at
home, with which are enclosed a memorandum of the precautions necessary to prevent the
spread of infection, and extracts from the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, and Factory
and Workshop Act, 1901, relating to the "dangerous infectious diseases." During the past
year 44 such letters were issued, as compared with 72 in 1904 and 60 in 1903. Special
communications are sent to midwives and others having charge of cases of puerperal fever, of
which 2 were issued last year, as against 8 in 1904 and 4 in 1903. The rooms disinfected
numbered 2,662 last year, as compared with 1,795 in the previous year.
Hospital Work.—The total number of cases of infectious illnesses removed to hospital
was 387 last year, 478 in 1904, 549 in 1903, and 632 in 1902.
The Asylums Board have accommodation available at the present time for 6,795
"fever patients and 2,040 small-pox. Two hospitals are in course of preparation, viz.,
South-Eastern (fever, acute cases; reconstruction; ready June, 1906; 486 beds) and
Southern (fever, convalescent cases; new; 800 beds). Gore Farm (Upper and Lower)
Hospitals, originally provided for small-pox, have been taken for the reception of convalescent
fever cases.- I he appended summary shows the accommodation provided and in course of
provision.
For "fever" (diphtheria and scarlet, typhus and enteric (typhoid) fevers)—
Permanent accommodation provided—acute cases 4,243 beds in 9 hospitals.
convalescent 2,552 „ 3 „
Accommodation to be provided acute cases 488 „ 1 hospital.
convalescent 800 „ 1 „
For small-pox—
Permanent accommodation provided, acute and convalescent
cases 2,040 „ 3 hospitals.
* In addition, 516 visits were made to houses to which patients were discharged from hospital after infectious
illness, 1,120 inspections of houses where children had been recently born, and 1,591 calls for other purposes.