View report page

7
Duration of Stay.—The average duration of stay in hospital
of all cases of scarlet fever was 45 days. The average duration
of stay of those patients having mastoid operations was 84 days.
Twenty-three patients with persistent rhinorrhoea or otorrhoea
had an average stay in hospital of 104 days. One patient was in
hospital for 221 days on account of nephritis and rheumatic
endocarditis.
Illness of Staff.—Two probationers contracted scarlet fever
within a week of entering the hospital. They had been found
to have a positive Dick reaction and had been given only one dose
of scarlet fever prophylactic for immunization and had not had
sufficient time to become immune. There were no cases of
diphtheria among the nursing staff.
Diphtheria.—The number of cases admitted as diphtheria
from the two districts was 178 from Ealing and 34 from Brentford
and Chiswick, making a total of 212 cases, 20 less than in the
previous year. In this number are included 16 cases of bacteriological
diphtheria, but in whom there were no clinical symptoms
of the disease. Of the total number, 37 were ultimately diagnosed
as not suffering from diphtheria. The final diagnoses in these
cases were as follows :—
Tonsillitis 22, bronchitis 3, naso-pharyngeal catarrh 1,
rhinitis 1, measles 1, Vincent's angina 1, scarlet fever 1,
quinsy 2, broncho-pneumonia 2, tonsillitis and bronchitis 1,
laryngitis 2.
The incidence in the various age-groups was as follows :—
1-5 yrs. 5-10 yrs. 10-15 yrs. 15-25 yrs. 25-45 yrs. Over 45 yrs.
30 97 18 20 8 2
The following complications were observed among the cases :—
Palatal paresis 11
Pharyngeal paresis 2
Ocular paresis 5
Cardiac involvement 16
Myocardial degeneration 5
Cervical adenitis 1
Rhinorrhoea 5
Otorrhoea 2
Tonsillitis 3
Septic sores 1