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55
In a hospital such as Ilford's, where, as at present, it
is not filled to its utmost capacity, obviously the cost per
person treated will be greater than in a hospital where the
proportion of patients to accommodation is greater, and
that fact has to be borne in mind in considering the total
cost.
SCARLET FEVER.
The following is the average stay in days of patients
admitted to the Isolation Hospital from this disease:—
1902. 1903. 1904. 1905. 1906. 1907. 1908. 1909.
56 58 54.7 48.9 42.8 36.8 42.25 44.76
The total number of patients admitted was 186, as
against 301 for the previous year. The percentage of cases
removed in 1909 was 69.7, and in 1908 it was 66.3.
Not a single death has occurred, and the cases taken
as a whole have been of a mild type, though there have been
the usual complications to deal with. Nose and ear
discharges are the most troublesome complications that
arise, and if a case occurs in a ward, one is almost certain
to get others. I used to think that this was due to aerial
conveyance, but it appears to be more due to direct contact
or conveyance through an intermediary. Some trouble
arose through a child being admitted with Scarlet Fever,
and incubating Chicken Pox.
This is exceedingly infectious, and I tried isolation in
a side ward connected to the main ward. In spite of great
care it seems almost impossible to limit the infection in this
way, and if it occurs again a separate ward and a separate
nurse is distinctly indicated. I see this is also the experience
of others with the cubicle system.