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18
ENTERIC FEVER.
Four patients were notified as suffering from typhoid fever, though
in one the notification was withdrawn, the diagnosis being changed to
malignant endocarditis. Of the two cases of typhoid fever, one was
apparently contracted on board ship. The remaining case was a para-B.
infection where watercress was the suspected source. Three of the
patients were admitted to isolation hospitals.
DYSENTERY.
The 13 cases of dysentery included four of Sonne infection which
occurred amongst the patients in a hospital in this district, and a further
two in which infection occurred amongst patients already in hospitals in
London. This leaves seven cases occurring amongst those living at home
in this district. One case occurred in a girl of 8 in January, the organism
being unknown. Of three cases notified in March, a boy of 8 suffered
from a Flexner infection, a girl of 9 from Sonne, but in the case of a baby
of 8 months the organism was unknown. An adult male suffered from
a Gaertner infection in July. In October an infant of 15 months succumbed
and next month a boy of 5 years, from Sonne infection.
Of these seven patients one was treated at home, four in a general
hospital and two in an isolation hospital.
FOOD POISONING.
Five patients were notified as suffering from food poisoning. Three
were members of one family who succumbed at much the same time to an
attack of diarrhœa, vomiting and abdominal pain. Pork was suspected,
though no complaints were received from consumers of other parts of the
consignment. The other two patients were again members of the same
family, who succumbed to the same symptoms on the same day. The
food-stuff suspected in this case was spam.
ERYSIPELAS.
Forty-seven cases of erysipelas were notified in 1944 (in each of the
two previous years the number was 46). Of these 27 were females.
The face was affected in 28 cases and the leg in 11.
Twelve patients were treated in isolation hospitals, the remainder
at home.
A child of one month died from erysipelas following a suppurating
cervical adenitis.
CEREBRO-SPINAL FEVER.
Seven notifications were received of patients suffering from cerebrospinal
fever, six of them occurring in the period from the beginning of
the year to the beginning of April, the remaining case in December.
The cases were independent of one another, occurring in different
parts of the district; one seemed to have been contracted outside the
area.
Two cases proved fatal.
Six of the patients were removed. to general hospitals for treatment.