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ii.
Notifiable Infectious Diseases remained low, and most
gratifying is the infrequency of cases of Diphtheria. Much of
the credit of this latter result is due to immunisation. A
disease which formerly was prevalent in the town and caused
annually deaths among the younger age groups has become of
minor significance. There were no deaths during the year from
this illness.
Full statistics are given of patients treated in Mayday
Hospital, which is classified as a general hospital under the
Emergency Hospitals Scheme of the Ministry of Health; ^50
beds were held always ready for emergencies, and another 250
were available within 48 hours.
The major causes of death among the general population
were Diseases of the Cardiac and Circulatory system, which
reached a new height of 6.09 per 1,000 of the population. Since
1939 this figure has risen each year. Next were deaths from
diseases of the Respiratory system, including Pulmonary Tuberculosis
(1.95): and Deaths from War operations, 1.68 per 1,000
of the population.
The incidence of skin affections remains high, and it is not
particularly associated with dirt or overcrowding. During the
year 527 appointments were made for families to attend at the
Cleansing Station for Scabies treatment, comprising 1,325 individuals.
470 families attended for the treatment, totalling 1,147
individuals. The method of treatment was by Benzyl Benzoate
and was successful in one application in the majority of cases.
Very severely infected persons required a second treatment.
They numbered 425. It is noticeable that many children admitted
to the Borough Hospital, and seen at school have small sores at
the corners of the mouth, or behind the ears and at the junction
of nose and the upper lip. Also it has been observed that these
sores are slow in clearing up. This is, it is suggested, evidence
of a degree of subnutrition.
The scheme for the diagnosis and treatment of Venereal
Disease has functioned on the same lines as formerly. Our
experience of the working of Regulation 33B is not such as to
lead to any anticipation that it is likely to be of much value as
a preventive measure. The particulars obtained are often too
vague to give any knowledge of the source of infection. In
those instances where accurate information has been given, the
person who is the source of alleged infection has, in all but four
presented themselves for examination. The following figures