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45
Erynipelni—proposed removal from list, of notifiable diseises.—A communication
was received from the Stepney Borough Council stating that they hart
considered the question of the notification of cases of erysipelas, and had
decided to ask the Local Government Board to promote legislation to amend
the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, by removing erysipelas from the list
of notifiable diseases in Section 55 (8), and asking this Authority to take
similar action.
They were advised that erysipelas had not for some time past been regarded
by the medical profession as a disease which was liable to spread by contagion
or infection, and that, although in their Borough disinfection was carried out,
yet in certain Metropolitan Boroughs this practice had been abandoned ; also
that if notification were discontinued, there would be, obviously, a saving to
the rates of the notification fees and other expenses.
Your Council were not in agreement with the opinion of the Stepney
Council as they believed the notification of erysipelas in the past has had a very
beneficial effect in lessening the disease and its fatality.
The average number of cases of this disease notified in St. Pancras during
the past ten years has been 201 per annum, and the deaths have averaged 11
per annum.
Notification is considered valuable, as it results in an inspection of the
premises with the possibility of the service of notices for the abatement of
nuisances, and the cleansing and disinfection of bedding, &c. Dirt, effluvia, and
overcrowding are predisposing causes of this as well as other diseases, and in
the absence of notification proper steps could not be tak n by the Sanitary
Authority to remove as far as possible these causes of the disease.
For these reasons the Stepney Borough Council and the Local Government
Board were informed that this Authority did not favour steps being taken to
remove erysipelas from the list of notifiable diseases.
This matter was considered by the Metropolitan Branch of the Incorporated
Society of Medical Officers of Health in 1906, and it was decided that it was
undesirable to take any steps to remove erysipelas from the list of notifiable
diseases.
DIPHTHERIA.
An outbreak of Diphtheria occurred atthe Foundling Hospital, Guilford Street,
W.C. The last serious epidemic which was an outbreak of Typhoid occurred
in 1891. Previous to that period there used to be outbreaks of various kinds of
diseases once or twice a year. Subsequent to that period there has been no
serious outbreak until the present. This may reasonably be attributed to the
fact that formerly the infirmary was on the top floor of the west wing of the
building, and after the Typhoid outbreak the Governors were advised to build
a separate infirmary. With this infirmary the procedure is to examine the
children in the wards or classes, and if any abnormality of health presents
itself to send such as are affected to the Infirmary. If in the Infirmary a
definite disease of an infectious or notifiable nature develops, the children are
promptly sent to the Metropolitan Asylums Board, so that for notifiable
infectious diseases the hospital infirmary acts as a quarantine station and
provides a duplicate stage of protection.