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31
As pointed out in previous reports, the St. James' Street Ward has
the greatest number of cases, a number in excess of the other Wards,
taking population as a base, Wood Street comes next, Hoe Street and
High Street practically the same rate and the Northern Ward the
lowest.
The decline in rate is most marked in St. James' Street and High
Street Wards, the former falling from 6 to 2 per 1,000, the latter from
3.7 to T3 per 1,000.
ISOLATION ACCOMMODATION.
During the year every case of Diphtheria and Membranous Croup
willing to go to the Sanatorium was admitted. Owing to the fewer
cases occurring during the year, compared with 1901, the Sanitary
Committee decided to reserve one pavilion only for Diphtheria, and
C Block was consequently thoroughly disinfected and cleansed for the
reception of Scarlet Fever cases. Up to the time of writing this report,
this provision was found ample, but 16 beds for Diphtheria can in no
sense be considered adequate, and possibly even before the projected
additions are completed, your Authority may have to revert to the
original conditions.
To provide adequate accommodation for Diphtheria is an expensive
proceeding, and how this can be done without having many empty
beds at times I fail to see, knowing how the incidence of the disease
varies monthly, rising from 6 in June to 19 in July, 17 in September,
and falling to 8 in December in a very favourable year.
What applies to Diphtheria applies with more force to Scarlet Fever
Taking roughly the items of expenditure at the Sanatorium for the
year ending March, 1902, you paid £1,024 in salaries and wages,
£174 in rates and taxes, £52 for water, £294 for fuel, £20 insurance,
interest on loans £797, instalments on loans £968, or a total of
£3,329, equal to £64 per bed when empty, or over 24s. per week
per bed.
The actual cost for food was less than £9 per bed, or 4s. 6d. per
week, but when horse hire for ambulance, medical and surgical sundries,
clothing and drapery are added, the cost becomes a little over £20
per patient, or more than double. This expenditure includes £158 for
horse hire for ambulance, £155 for medical and surgical sundries, and
£302 for clothing.
It will be readily seen that no just conclusion can be arrived at as
regards costliness of isolation provision, according to cases treated,
except the circumstances are known, but in my judgment, although