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29
Under 21 years of age: 5 males and 4 females; over 21 years
of age 24 males and 4 females.
The nature of the treatment given was as follows:—15 attended
the dispensary, with the result that 4 were discharged fit for work,
3 were sent to sanatoria, and 8 are still attending (1 receiving
tuberculin still attending). 11 received domiciliary treatment, of
whom 1 has improved, 2 became worse and were sent to sanatoria,
4 are still receiving domiciliary and extra nourishment,
4 have died; the remaining 17 patients received hospital treatment,
the results being: 3 discharged improved, 1 died, 13 still in
hospital.
Thus out of the 37, 7 were discharged as improved, 5 have
died, and the remaining 25 are still under treatment. It is a
point of some regret that only 39 out of the 244 notified as suffering
from the disease, or 16 per cent., availed themselves of the
facilities offered. It is to be hoped, however, that the more frequent
attendance at the newly-established centre may have a
beneficial effect upon the scope of this aspect of preventive
medicine.
Vaccination.
It is with regret that I have to report that the number of
infants successfully vaccinated becomes smaller each year. That
Smallpox will eventually become prevalent can be taken as assured,
but as to whether it will ever reach to the extent of a
serious epidemic is doubtful, as the effect of 30 or 40 cases in
our own district would be a general rush to the local practitioners
to get vaccinated. It must be always borne in mind that the
objection to this slight operation is not on the ground that the
parents cfco not believe in the efficacy of the remedy, but that
they do not care to see their infants subjected to a slight risk,
for what is to them a problematical benefit.