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5
During the year the Consulting Oto-Laryngologist, Dr. Dan
McKenzie, made 47 visits to the hospital. He performed mastoid
operations on 24 patients, twelve of these being double mastoids.
Dr. McKenzie also performed minor operations on the following
patients:—
Ethmoid abscess opened 2
Tonsils and adenoids removed 3
Adenoids removed 2
Antrum irrigation 1
Paracentesis 2
The Consulting Surgeon, Mr. Gordon Bryan, made three
visits to the Hospital, twice to open pyaemic abscesses and once
to drain an abscess in the buttock.
The following minor operations were also performed on scarlet
fever patients:—
Cervical gland abscesses incised 7
Abscess of jaw incised 2
Cross Infection.—In the North Block five cases of chickenpox
occurred, the source of infection apparently being a boy who
developed herpes zoster shortly after admission. In the South
Block 16 cases of chicken-pox occurred following an attack in a
boy who had already been five weeks in hospital. In this case the
primary source was not discovered. Both outbreaks of chickenpox
were extremely difficult to control owing to the lack of accommodation
for the isolation of susceptible contacts. At the same
time it was found impossible to place the affected wards in quarantine
since the beds were required for the admission of new cases of
scarlet fever whose treatment in hospital was urgently required.
Return Cases.—Of the 675 cases discharged during the year,
24 gave rise to return cases of scarlet fever, 13 being patients
from Ealing and 11 from Brentford and Chiswick. This gives a
return case-rate of 3.69 per cent.
Deaths.—Five patients admitted with a diagnosis of scarlet
fever died, giving a case mortality of 0.73 per cent.