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44
Except in a few isolated instances in the hospital, no use has
been made of these methods, and in the conditions which obtain
at present in the district, there is very little hope that any considerable
proportion of the inhabitants would avail themselves
of any facilities which we might offer.
For the last 10 years, Scarlet Fever has been of a mild character,
and in the last 3 years diphtheria also has not been very
Prevalent in the district.
The following table gives the incidence and fatality of Scarlet
ever and Diphtheria in the last 10 years.
1925 1924 1923 1922 1921 1920 1919 1918 1917 1916
Scarlet Fever Notifications 83 105 160 305 630 176 95 38 45 64
Scarlet Fever Deaths 1 1 — 3 1 1 — — — 1
Diphtheria Notifications 63 45 61 223 205 141 54 116 67 81
DiPhtheria Deaths 1 5 3 12 1618 2 2 3 4
As far as Scarlet Fever is concerned, it appears that more
Information and experience would be necessary before the Dick
test and subsequent immunization could be recommended. Much
work though is being carried out both in this country and America,
and progress may be expected in both directions.
With respect to diphtheria, the conditions are different.
in this district, we happen to be in what is called the period
minimum prevalence of the disease, but an examinarion of the
records for the past 50 years shows that the district regularly passes
through periods of maximum and periods of minimum prevalence.
These periods van,- from 3 to 7 years, and though the deaths
which occur in the periods of maximum prevalence are now much
less than formerly, thanks mainly to the introduction of antitoxin
the depredations of the disease are formidable. Evidence
of this is seen in the table; in the 3 years 1920-1922, 46 deaths
occurred from the disease.
we probably know more about the causal organism of diphtheria
than we do of the cause of most infectious diseases, yet
the attack on diphtheria has fallen behind that directed against
other infection diseases. Steady though the progress has been
in the treatment of cases, it has recently been slow ; the fact
remains that, for reasons not altogether clear, diphtheria appears"
in this country to be strenghtening its forces, and gathering power.