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83
BACTERIOLOGICAL WORK.
The work carried out under this heading during the year was
considerably in excess of that of 1919—4,108 examinations as
compared with 2,442—and was mainly in connection with the detection
of Diphtheria, which was very prevalent towards the end of that year.
Only a few specimens of blood for Typhoid diagnosis were sent in,
and these were sent on to the County Laboratories, where greater
facilities exist and fresh cultures of the bacillus are always kept.
Result.
Pos. Neg.
No. of Diphtheria swabs examined in 1920 4,103 955 3,148
No. of specimens of Sputum examined 11 2 9
No. of specimens of hair examined for Ringworm 8 3 5
The County Council now undertake the examination of sputa for all
insured people, and have their Public Health Laboratories in London,
where pathological work of all kinds is carried out for general practitioners
without payment.
Notwithstanding this provision, local medical practitioners sent in
682 swabs, and as your Authority supplies the doctors with outfits, our
Laboratory serves their needs, and is found by them more convenient
in some ways than that provided by the County Council.
Pending further developments and the reorganisation of the Public
Health Service we shall continue to do as heretofore.
The swabs included 2,052 suspected cases of Diphtheria; of these, 385
were positive, i.e., with Diphtheria bacilli present.
Contacts numbering 524 were examined and 106 were found to have
Diphtheria germs present. From old standing cases, apparently quite
well, 1,527 swabs were taken and of these 464 were found for considerable
periods still harbouring the specific bacillus.
SMALL POX.
No case of this disease has occurred here since 1904.
A number of notifications were received of contacts with the disease
from Port Authorities and Medical Officers of Health in 'London and
elsewhere.
These were visited and advised as to any possible illness supervening,
and in a few instances the private medical man was also advised in
confidence.
Our position at the present time, should Small Pox be brought into
the District, is a serious one, as no permanent provision is yet made for
the isolation and treatment of patients contracting the disease.
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