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titioners on application, at cost price, or free where there is inability to pay. The
amount supplied during the year was 110,000 units. The total cost to the Council
was £7 5s. 0d., of which £5 5s. Od. was recovered.
Immunisation.—In 1934, the Council, with the co-operation of the local medical
profession, started a scheme for the immunisation of children against diphtheria.
The scheme is one in which the immunisation is carried out by general practitioners
and it was set out in full in my Annual Report for 1934. It was necessary, however,
to modify it slightly during the year as it came to notice that cases had occurred
where Doctors had given one or two injections, but were unable to give the second
or third as a result of the removal of the patient to some other district or for some
other reason. As the scheme stood the doctor was not entitled to any payment.
It seemed unfair, however, that he should be out of pocket in his efforts to co-operate
with the Council in this branch of preventive medicine, and in such circumstances
the Council decided to repay the cost of the diphtheria prophylactic used by him.
During 1935, 1,004 children were immunised and a further 148 were found
not to require immunisation. Since the scheme started in November, 1934, 1,135
children in all have been immunised.
In order to ascertain whether the child is susceptible to diphtheria or not,
use is made of the Schick test. This may be done before immunisation; but it
must be carried out after immunisation in order to ascertain that the desired result
has been obtained. Schick testing clinics have been held periodically as often as
was necessary. The figures for the year are as follows. Before the course of
immunisation, 471 children were found to be Schick positive and 148 Schick
negative, and after immunisation, including children immunised in 1934, 779 were
found to be negative and 38 positive; 61 children failed to attend. The remaining
children were waiting until the requisite period of time had passed to enable
immunity to be developed.
The total amount of fees paid to general practitioners for immunisation during
the year was £537 10s. Od. The other costs amounted to £136 1s. 9d.
Scarlet Fever.
Notification.—During the year 634 cases were notified, compared with 989 in
1934 and 1,004 in 1933. There were 8 military cases. The number of notifications
received each quarter was as follows:—
First quarter 189 Second quarter 153
Third quarter 109 Fourth quarter 183
Multiple Cases.—The following Table, No. 62, shows the house distribution
by wards. The term "house" is synonymous with the term "family" except in
six instances, where two families were involved.