View report page

51
A perusal of the foregoing tables will show the incidence
of notifiable diseases in the Borough as well as their classification
in age and ward groups.
As will be seen, Table A indicates that the year 1936 was in
no way an abnormal one, so far as infectious diseases were concerned,
and no serious epidemics occurred. So far as hospital
accommodation for infectious diseases is concerned, the report
of the Superintendent of the Joint Hospitals, kindly furnished
to me by Dr. T. Orr and appended to this Report, shows the
progress made by the Joint Hospitals Committee in the provision
of adequate isolation hospital accommodation for the districts
for which it is responsible.
The extension and reconstruction of the hospital was in
fact completed at the time of writing.
Dealing with the more important of the notifiable diseases :
[a) Scarlet Fever.
The number of cases notified was 164, showing an increase
of 39 cases over the preceding year and giving an attack rate of
2.6 per 1,000 of the population.
Of the 164 cases notified, 142 received hospital treatment.
One death occurred from this disease while under hospital
treatment, the cause of death being given as :—
la. Septic Meningitis, b. Empyema. 2. Scarlet Fever.
(b) Diphtheria.
The cases of Diphtheria notified during the year were
remarkably small in number, viz., 17, as compared with 54
during the year 1935, and giving an attack rate of 0.27 per
1,000 of the population.
All cases were removed for hospital treatment and no
deaths occurred from this disease.
Although anti-toxin is supplied free to medical practitioners,
it would seem that they do not avail themselves of the service to
any extent, probably owing to the very prompt removal of
diagnosed cases to hospital. The cost of the anti-toxin purchased
during the year was 13s. 4d.