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5. Whereas a scarlet fever patient admitted during JulyAugust
made an average stay in hospital of only 29.9 days, the
average stay in hospital of children admitted during December was
over 41 days.
6. Rhinitis was excessively prevalent in 1935. Fifty-two cases
were recorded, of whom 12 occurred in January and 11 in December
admissions. The incidence is probably largely seasonal, but it also
occurred when overcrowded conditions in the scarlet fever wards
existed.
7. The lessened incidence of late albuminuria in 1935, as compared
with 1934 (7 per cent. and 17.82 per cent. respectively) may
be due to repairs carried out on the walls of two scarlet fever wards.
Prior to these repairs draughts were noted.
8. Lack of sufficient side-ward isolation accommodation makes
it a matter of difficulty to take adequate precautions against the
spread of septic infection, which is, to some extent, responsible for
such complications as Otitis Media, Rhinitis, Tonsilitis, Quinsy and
Bronchitis.
9. Regarding the incidence of Diphtheria, where 70 per cent.
of the cases were aged 5 years or under 5 years of age, positive swabs
were so common that during the year 72 cases received anti-diphtheritic
serum.
10. Finally it would appear that overcrowding scarlet fever
wards is not only a danger from the individual patient's point of
view, but that it also tends to defeat its own object by prolonging
the average stay in hospital of the patients concerned.