View report page

26
exaggeration to say that half of it is spent on Scarlet Fever—a
disease with a death-rate of 012 for England and Wales, whereas
practically no provision is made for hospital isolation of the more
urgent cases of Measles, Whooping Cough and Consumptiondiseases
with death-rates of 0.39, 0.34 and 1.6, respectively.
The Report of the Metropolitan Asylums Board for the year
1899, contains interesting information as to the hospital isolation
of infectious diseases in the Metropolis.
The cases of infectious disease notified under the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, during 1899, numbered 42,285. They included
18,089 notified as Scarlet Fever, 13,346 as Diphtheria, 4,453 as Enteric
Fever, 13 as Typhus Fever, 1 as Relapsing Fever,69 as Continued Fever,
and 29 as Small-pox. The remainder were cases of other diseases
notified under the Act, but not admissible into the Board's hospitals.
Amongst the notified cases admitted to the Board's hospitals it
is usual to find many cases of mistaken diagnosis. In the past year
the percentage of such cases was as regards Scarlet Fever cases, 3.9;
Diphtheria Cases, 7.4 ; and Enteric Fever cases, 17.3.
Of the total notified and legally admissible cases, 68.08 per
cent. were admitted to the Board's hospitals, as against 65.50 per
cent. in 1898, and 33.59 per cent. in 1890.
The percentage of the notified cases of each disease removed to
the Managers' Hospitals, was, as regards Scarlet Fever, 74.34,
Enteric Fever 40.78, Typhus Fever 84.62, and Diphtheria 69.69.
The average duration of residence of Scarlet Fever cases was 69.1
days, or 70.4 days if the fatal cases be excluded; of Diphtheria the
length of residence was 51.2 days, and 59.2 if the fatal cases are
omitted; while the average residence of Enteric Fever cases was 50.7
days, and 58.6 days if the fatal cases be excluded. The duration of
residence is of the utmost importance from an economical point of
view, for any possible shortening of the period would effect a saving
in the cost of maintenance, and also admit of a larger number of
patients being treated in the same number of beds.