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9
OPHTHALMIA neonatorum.
Only 1 case was notified and the child recovered
without impairment of vision after treatment at Redhill County
Hospital.
ACUTE POLIOMYELITIS.
Only 1 case of poliomyelitis was notified in the
District. The disease was not suspected until the child had
been under treatment for an orthopoedic defect for a year, hence,
it can be taken that no acute case of this disease occurred in
the District during 1940.
CEREBRO SPINAL FEVER.
Eight cases were notified during the year compared with
four in 1939 and only one in each of 1935 and 1936. The local
increase in the incidence of this disease represented part of a
wave affecting the whole Country. Fortunately the local
incidence was less than that in England and Wales, notifications
being 0.15 per 1,000 civilian population compared with 0.32 in
the Country as a whole.
The local cases were scattered throughout the first
three quarters of the year and over the District, each being
apparently unconnected with either of the others. All were
admitted to hospital, two going to the Redhill County Hospital,
and no deaths were reported among the residents of this District.
pneumonia.
There were 19 notifications of acute primary or
influenzal pneumonia during the. year as compared with 52, 12 and
30 in the previous three years. Twelve of the cases were inmates
of the Mental Hospitals.
No cases were removed to the Isolation Hospital, but
2 were treated at Purley Hospital and 1 at Redhill County
Hospital.
DYSENTERY.
Eighty five cases of dysentery were notified, this
being the largest number of cases recorded as having occurred in
the Urban District, the previous highest being 17 in 1923. The
cases occurred in two main groups one of 17 cases being notified
in Selsdon by one Doctor. The diagnosis of these cases was not
confirmed by bacteriological examination but bacilliary
infection was suspected. The occurrence of a number of cases
presenting gastro-intestinal symptoms at one time suggested a
common cause but no common factor could be traced except the
water supply which was shown to be satisfactory. The other
group all occurred at one of the mental hospitals, viz. 1 in
May, 1 in September, 20 in October, 40 in November and 6 in
December. The organisms causing these cases were 3 or 4 types
of Flexner bacilli with a few cases due to Sonne bacilli.
The variety of types and the dimensions of the outbreak were
due to the transfer of cases from other hospitals in London
owing to air attack.
MEASLES.
Only 11 cases of measles were notified during the year
under the Measles and Whooping Cough Notification Order, 1940,
but the Health Visitors paid visits to 32 households in which
cases had occurred, 20 being cases in school children and 2 in
adults. No cases were admitted to the Isolation Hospital
during the year.
WHOOPING COUGH.
Similarly, only 1 case of whooping cough was notified
although 2 cases were reported upon by Head Teachers and the
Health Visitors visited 11 households on this and other sources
of information. One case was admitted to the Infectious Disease
Hospital. It is not anticipated that the compulsory
notification of measles and whooping cough will prove of great