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Antitoxin.—A supply of antitoxin is kept at the Town Hall and at Eltham
Library and is available for medical practitioners on application, at cost price,
or free, where there is inability to pay. The amount supplied during the year
was 80,000 units. The total cost to the Council was £4 8s. 0d., all of which was
recovered, with the exception of five shillings.
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 immunisation is carried out by general practitioners
and it was set out in full in my Annual Report for 1934. Slight modifications
which aie referred to in my Annual Report for 1935 were made during that year.
The basis of payment to general practitioners was altered during the year.
Every medical practitioner is now paid at the rate of 2s. 6d. per injection and the
Council provides the prophylactic. The number of injections per child may be
two or three, never one.
During 1938, 647 children were immunised and a further 32 were found not to
require immunisation. Since the scheme started in November, 1934, 3,010 children
in all have been immunised.
In order to ascertain whether a 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 whether the desired result has
been obtained. Schick testing clinics have been held as often as was necessary.
The figures for the year follow. Before a course of immunisation 143 children were
found to be Schick positive and 32 Schick negative; after immunisation, including
children immunised in 1937, 598 were found to be negative and 61 positive.
The total amount of fees paid to general practitioners for immunisation during
the year was £283 8s. lid. The other costs amounted to £102 3s. 9d.
Bacteriological Examinations.—The number of throat or nose swabs examined
at the War Memorial Hospital during the year was 1,630 and 106 of these showed
the presence of the diphtheria bacillus.
Scarlet Fever.
Notification.-—-During the year 507 case6 were notified compared with 428
in 1937 and 609 in 1936. There were 118 military cases. The number of notifications
received each quarter was as follows :—
First quarter 179 Second quarter 151
Third quarter. 98 Fourth quarter 79