View report page

80
Hospital Administration.
SCARLET FEVER.
One hundred and twenty cases of Scarlet Fever were admitted
during 1914, a large proportion of which occurred during the last
quarter, when there was a smart outbreak—part of a general
metropolitan outbreak.
At times we were pressed for room, and a few cases had to be
kept out for a few days until room could be found. This was, in
some cases, disadvantageous to the district, but at the same time
the public should know that, even if a local authority builds and
controls an Isolation Hospital, that authority is not legally bound
to give way to the demands of any ratepayer for admission.
In connection with this outbreak 1 reported as follows:—
"The Scarlet Fever Block is for acute cases of Scarlet Fever,
and where they are kept in bed for the first three weeks of the
illness. This block contains two wards capable of accommodating
eight patients in each This block is deficient in not being provided
with two small single wards for observation and isolation purposes
in cases of doubtful and mixed infections, and I would urge that
these additions be made This would greatly diminish the arduous
and responsible task of nursing cases of mixed infection with those
of simple infection.
"Scarlet Fever cases not infrequently develop or come in
with whooping cough, measles, and chicken pox and diphtheria.
These cases should be isolated from the others, but our ward does
not admit of this."
Without going into a dissertation on the uses of an Isolation
Hospital one can summarise as follows:—
1. An Isolation Hospital is of use to a district, when
judiciously used, for those cases who cannot be satisfactorily
isolated at home.