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72
THE FORTY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT
on the
MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL
By ARTHUR G. TROUP, M.D., D.P.H.
Medical Superintendent.
During 1938, 1,739 patients were admitted to hospital as compared with 1,762 in 1937, 1,754 in
1936 and 1,156 in 1935.
During the past three years cases requiring treatment for ear, nose and throat conditions and
infants suffering from marasmus have been admitted to hospital, and this accounts for the increased
number of patients as compared with those for the year 1935.
Cerebro-Spinal Fever.
Fourteen cases of this disease were treated in hospital during the year and two deaths occurred.
The fatal cases were aged 33 years and one year respectively. The former was of a severe malignant
and haemorrhagic type and failed to respond to treatment. The latter died a few hours after
admission to hospital.
Diphtheria.
301 cases were admitted to hospital as compared with 303 cases during 1937. These may be
classified as follows:—Faucial 179, Naso-Pharyngeal 38, Nasal 67, Laryngeal 13, Aural 4, Carriers 6.
The total number of cases under treatment was 397.
It was necessary to perform the operation of tracheotomy on three of the laryngeal cases, of
which one recovered and two died.
The mortality rate of 1.8% shows a decrease of 2.3% over the figure for last year. The
mortality rate for England and Wales for the year 1937 was 4.8%.
The immediate causes of death in the seven fatal cases were :—Myocarditis 1 case, Toxaemia
4 cases, Laryngeal Obstruction 2 cases.
Enteric Fever.
Two cases of Paratyphoid Fever B, and one case of Typhoid Fever were admitted during the
year. The latter patient was infected while on a visit to Spain. All were of a moderate type, and
no deaths occurred.
Erysipelas.
Thirty-one cases of this disease were treated during the year, and one death occurred.
Measles.
Measles was epidemic during the early part of the year, and eighty cases were treated in
hospital.
The type was not so severe as that witnessed during the 1936 epidemic, the mortality rate of
the hospital cases being 2.5% as compared with 6.7%. The chief complications were Bronchopneumonia
13 cases, Mastoiditis and Laryngitis one case each.
A large number of children suffering from this disease had to be refused admission to hospital
owing to lack of accommodation.
Convalescent Measles Serum.
Measles infection was introduced into the female scarlet fever ward. The result obtained from
the use of convalescent measles serum was as follows :—
Date of Date Number of
admission. developed susceptible Dose of Result obtained.
Infecting case. Measles. Contacts. serum.
19.1.38 31.1.38 7 10 c.c. Two patients fully protected.
Five attenuated attacks.
Two other contacts who were reported to have had a previous attack of measles and
consequently were not given a prophylactic dose of serum subsequently developed an ordinary attack
of this disease on the 11th and 16th day respectively after exposure to infection. There were three
susceptible contacts to these cases, and all had a dose of convalescent measles serum and all were
fully protected.
The amount of convalescent measles serum at present in stock is 865 c.c.