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Demands for arrangements to be made for the admission
to hospital of patients suffering from milder infectious diseases
which are not ordinarily removed to hospital are also received
from the military authorities. While it is appreciated that in
certain circumstances real difficulties will arise if such a patient
cannot be removed, yet in other circumstances it does seem that
the military authorities might adopt a less helpless attitude. It
would seem, too, that more regard might be had to such matters
when it is being decided that a number of troops are to be stationed
in any area, and that when any place seems likely to be used for
an indefinite period that they should take the necessary steps
to provide their own accommodation to meet such contingencies.
No very elaborate provision need be made for the reception of
adult males slightly ill of a mild infectious complaint provided,
as would always be the case, that hospital accommodation would
be found for those whose clinical condition necessitated hospital
care and nursing.
One of the lesser difficulties now being encountered arises
from the fact that parents of patients who cannot be admitted
to the local hospitals are proving very reluctant—quite understandably
so—to agreeing to their children being admitted to a
hospital which is nearer to London than is this district. Partly
because this was anticipated, and partly, too, to endeavour to
have further accommodation of which to avail ourselves if it
should prove impossible for those hospitals which ordinarily accept
patients from here to continue to do so, enquiries were made,
but with very little success, as to the possibility of local patients
being, if necessary, admitted to the hospitals of those authorities
in the areas to the north and west of this.
CLINICAL ASPECTS.
Diphtheria.
Admissions:—
Number admitted on a diagnosis of diphtheria
Number of cases clinically diphtheria 56
Number of carriers 12
In 10 cases in which the diagnosis was not confirmed the
revised diagnosis was laryngitis in 5 cases, quinsy in 3, and bronchial
pneumonia and scarlet fever in one case each.
Of the cases clinically diphtheria, 48 were faucial, 5 nasal,
one laryngeal and 2 aural. Of the carriers 8 were faucial, and
4 nasal. Seven of these were admitted from the Orthopaedic
Hospital.
Deaths.—Number of deaths, 3.
Case mortality of diphtheria cases, 5.3 per cent.
The particulars of these fatal cases are:—(1) A girl of 8
admitted on the eighth day of disease suffering from laryngeal
diphtheria died within a few hours of admission. (2) A boy of