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6
The cost of treating our Scarlet Fever cases in the
past three years by sending them to Isolation Hospitals
would have been a very heavy burden upon the rates,
and it is a matter for congratulation that a system like
this, which yields such good results at a minimum of expense,
has been organised in the district. There still
appears to be a good deal of adverse opinion in some
quarters towards it, but our experience of its working in
this district has been very encouraging, The average
cost per case has been £3 13s. iod., and the average
period under treatment five weeks and three days.
There is no doubt that a great deal of this satisfactory
result is due to the efficient way in which the
nurses have carried out their duties. It is not generally
known that while under the treatment we keep the
patient strictly isolated, and disinfect the rooms in the
usual way before they are occupied again.
As in former years our chief difficulty has been in
discovering the concealed or missed cases which have
been the cause of many avoidable outbreaks from time
to time in the Schools and elsewhere.
The cases as a whole have been of a more severe
type than is usual now, but no serious complications or
deaths resulted from the disease.
DYPHTHERIA.
Of the 29 cases of this disease which were notified
19 were treated in Isolation Hospitals. There occurred
a serious outbreak in February when 12 cases were
notified. Nine of these were traceable to one source of
infection, viz.: a child convalescent from the disease
who had received no medical treatment, or been subjected
to any isolation during the attack, and consequently
infected several other members of the household.
Two deaths resulted from the disease. The arrangement
for the gratuitous supply of Anti-toxin in urgent
cases, and bacteriological examination of swabs in
suspicious cases has been of great benefit, and was freely
made use of by the medical men of the district.