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13
ISOLATION HOSPITAL.
Dr. Thomas, Medical Superintendent of the Acton and
Wembley Joint Hospital up to September 1940, has furnished the
following report: —
The total number of patients admitted to the Hospital in the
year was 338—5 more than in 1939, and comparing with 633 in
1938, and an average of 610 in the four years 1934-1938.
Of the total number of patients admitted, 20 of them were
from outside districts, 84 were refugee children and 22 were soldiers
billeted in Acton and Wembley.
Although the number of admissions of Acton and Wembley
residents is lower than that of the previous year, the conditions
are so abnormal that no conclusions can be drawn.
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It will probably be remembered that the Central Authorities
could not arrange for the establishment at the hospital of a Casualty
Clearing Station, as it was considered to be too near danger zones,
and might become a target of enemy planes, but it was one of the
few fever hospitals in the immediate neighbourhood, in the grounds
of which no hostile bombs fell during the year. This accounts for
the admissions of cases from outside districts during the year.
We also had to send cases to outside hospitals, but that was
because of our inability to provide for the isolation of that particular
disease at the time. It will be noticed that during the year,
persons suffering from 16 diseases were admitted, compared with
9 diseases in 1939, yet we were fortunate to escape cross-infection.
Scarlet Fever.
125 cases of Scaret Fever were admitted, and no deaths;
7 of the cases were diagnosed not to be Scarlet Fever—3 from
Acton, 3 from Wembley, and 1 from Ealing. 9 cases were admitted
from houses where a patient had been discharged from hospital less
than a month previously. Only one mastoid operation was performed
during the year.
Diphtheria.
46 cases of Diphtheria were admitted, with one death. Nine
of these were probably wrongly diagnosed before admission, 5 from
Acton, 3 from Wembley and 1 from Hendon.