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17
Infectious Diseases.
Pneumonia was the usual cause of death, and this is best
prevented by keeping in bed and by attention to oral hygiene.
Strenuous efforts were made to prevent the spread of the
disease and Health Visitors and District Nurse were kept busy.
Delay or neglect in notifying cases, especially secondary cases,
was vexatious at times.
Hospital accommodation has been provided for cases who
cannot be properly nursed at home. Printed precautions have been
widely circulated by mean* of the schools and by posters throughout
the district.
The mortality was not heavy considering the severity of the
epidemic. There is still a general tendency to regard Measles as a
trivial complaint and to let the patient up and about too soon.
The safe rule is one week in bed, one week more in the bedroom,
and one week more before mixing with the healthy. If this
were rigidly followed out, there would be few deaths and few
complications. In order to get notifications of secondary cases of
Measles, which are often not attended by doctors, a postcard is left
with the parents to post on to the Health Authority, and this will
be followed up by an early visit.
CANCER.
23 Deaths have been registered locally. There are 12 others
who have died in places outside the district—Total 35.
This represents a death rate of 1.07 per 1,000, and is greater
than that from Tuberculosis of lungs.
Cancer cannot be considered to be contagious, nor a disease of
locality or environment. It is due to a proliferation of body cells
and their invasion of the adjacent tissues. By some subtle influence
these cells instead of multiplying in just sufficient numbers to
repair the body waste, have their balance between supply and
demand upset, multiply more rapidly than is healthy, and a
neoplasm or morbid growth results. If these growths ulcerate a
more or less offensive discharge occurs. In these cases it is
desirable that the bedding should be disinfected or destroyed,