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14
admission of scarlet fever oases should be limited to severe cases
requiring special nursing and medical attention and to those which
cannot be attended to at home.
The use of anti-scarlatinal serum has enabled the stay of scarlet
fever patients in Hospital to be considerably reduced. In 1909
the average stay in Hospital of scarlet fever patients was 44 days,
in 1929 it was 31.3 days. Most cases of scarlet fever who receive
serum early in the disease can now be discharged from the Hospital
at the end of 3 weeks without any complications occurring, and
without any more risk of return cases but possibly less than if they
were retained for longer periods in the hospital.
The investigations which have been able to be made at the
Isolation Hospital have considerably assisted the hospital administration
of scarlet fever. No relapse from this disease has occurred
since October, 1928. Previously there was a relapse rate of about
3 per cent.
The amount of infection among the nursing staff has been
reduced to a negligible amount, although owing to the number of
diphtheria cases it has not been possible to keep all nurses from
nursing such cases until they were completely immune.
The School Medical Service has been extended by the provision
of an Orthopaedic Scheme and by the appointment of an additional
School Dentist.
The Open Air School has already proved its value to the child
life of the district.
The Maternity Home, as I pointed out last year, requires
extension particularly by the provision of a ward for difficult emergency
cases.
In October, the Council lost the services of Mr. King, the
Senior Sanitary Inspector, after 37 years service in the district,
owing to the operation of the Superannuation Act. The value
of the work which Mr. King has done has been commented on by
myself previously and it was with much regret that I lost his assistance
in the Department.
I have again to thank the members of the Council for their
support, and I have the honour to be
Your obedient servant,
A. H. G. BURTON,
Medical Officer of Health.