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37
There was only one fatal case in the Hospital during the
year, that was a case of toxic Scarlet Fever.
A case of Puerperal Scarlet Fever required operation for a
large abdominal abscess, and abscess in the shoulder joint.
There were more cases of Scarlet Fever with nasal discharge
and secondary sore throat than last year, and this I think was
largely due to inefficient ventilation of the wards in cold weather.
We found it impossible to get the temperature up to
fifty degrees, unless all the window ventilators were closed; under
these conditions the atmosphere was far from satisfactory, and
during the particularly cold weather in December the Hospital
was full, and it was then that these complications occurred.
As far as practicable convalescents and acute cases are
separated, with a view to preventing complications, septic cases
with discharges are isolated, either in separate wards, or with
"fenders" round the bed according to circumstances. To
this end also cases are treated antiseptically throughout. The
nurses wear rubber gloves during treatment which are freshly
disinfected for each case, and each patient is provided with his
own feeding utensils, spatula, nasal douche, etc.
Before patients are discharged they are isolated for two
or three days in one of the three available rooms we have for this
purpose, after having undergone a thorough process of
cleansing, disinfection of skin, hair, mouth, nose and ears.
I am pleased to say there has been no "return" case of
Scarlet Fever again during the past year.
With regard to the cases of Diphtheria, 2 cases of
Membranous Croup required the operation of tracheotomy,
and both recovered.
No convalescent from diphtheria is discharged from the
Hospital until three consecutive negative reports are obtained
from swabs taken from the nose and throat at intervals, during the
last ten or fourteen days' stay of the patient in Hospital. By these
means we are assured as far as possible that the patient is free
from infectious germs.
There was one probable return case of diphtheria, the
mother of a child recently discharged, was admitted for
diphtheria.