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53
name of erysipelas, but requiring merely simple treatment and cleanliness to
hasten its subsidence.
About the middle of 1899, instruction was given to deal with notifications of
erysipelas in the same manner as the notifications of other dangerous infectious
diseases. That is to say, that from this time onward the person in charge of the
patient received a notice requiring the disinfection of the bedding and
clothing, if objection was taken to the Public Authority doing the disinfection,
a certificate was required from the medical attendant stating that the disinfection
of the bedding and clothing had been done under his supervision and to
his satisfaction, and if done by the Public Authority a certificate of the Medical
Officer of Health to a similar effect was sent to the person in charge of the
patient. The essential point was that a certificate of satisfactory disinfection
was required in every case notified as erysipelas, as in other dangerous
infectious diseases, and the effect was to diminish the number of localised
trivial surface reddenings notified as dangerous, as shown by the table on next,
page.
Here then is a practical method of separating minor from major cases, and
of excluding the former from notification, since the medical attendant will
not subject his patients to the inconvenience of disinfection and himself to the
inconvenience of writing certificates in trivial cases, especially in such as continue
to work and visit surgeries, dispensaries, and out-patient departments.
The notification of erysipelas is valuable, amongst other things, in enabling
measures to be taken—
1. For the disinfection of bedding and clothing.
2. For the prevention of the spread of erysipelas, puerperal fever, and
other varieties of septic diseases.
3. For improving the sanitary condition of dwelling houses.
With the object of taking these measures in each case of erysipelas notified,
inquiry is forthwith made, disinfection of the bedding and clothing is carried
out after removal to workhouse, or infirmary, or hospital, or after recovery or
death at home, and the premises are inspected as to sanitary condition, and
the drains tested.