[Report 1911] / Medical Officer of Health, Chorley Borough.

  • Chorley (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1911] / Medical Officer of Health, Chorley Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Owing- tO' the great number of Scarlet: Fewer cases admitted into the Isolation Hospital, both from Chorleiy and two of the other constituent districts comprised under the Joint Hospital Board, it was found impossible to send as many cases to Hospital as would hawe been desirable, and only five (o) cases of Diphtheria: were removed there. Twelve (12) Deaths occurred from this disease, giving a Case Mortality of thirty (30) per cent. By your directions I have kept at the Sa.iiitary Inspector’s Office a constant supply of Diphtheritic Antitoxin for the use of any Medical Practitioner who will apply for it. In several cases the disease was so rapidly fatal that I did not receive any notification till after the death of the patient. With the exception of the free supply of Antitoxin, you have made no arrangements under the Diphtheria Regulations Memorandum of the Local Government Board. Typhoid Fever.—^Eighteen (18) cases of Typhoid Fever were notified in 1911. Unlike Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria the great ma.jority of these cases occurred in the first half of the year, eight (8) cases having been reported in each of the first and second Quarters and two (2) in the third Quarter. From North Ward I received six (6) notifications, four (4) from South, two (2) from Ea.st, and six (6) from West Ward. Six (6) cases were removed to the Isolation Hospital, all of which recovered. Two (2) Deaths resulted from Typhoid Fever, giving the Case Mortality of eleven (11) per cent'. Though the number of notifications of Typhoid Fever does not compare favourably with that obtaining in 1910, viz, nine (9), it is less than the number reported in 1909, viz, twenty-nine (29) and than the average number of notifications received in the twenty years since the adoption of the Infectious Diseases Notification Act, viz, 32.5. With few exceptions, only one case of Typhoid Fever occurred in any one house, and we visited each house to- find out any sanitary defect or other cause for the disease, but generally we found nothing to- account for the occurrence. Where the case was not removed to Hospital, full instructions were given to the householders for disinfecting; and after the case terminated disinfection of the house, clothing, and bedding was carried out as usual. Measles.—This disease began to be prevalent in the late spring and early summer, and the first locality attacked was Moor-road and adjacent streets. In May there was an epidemic of Measles at Coppull, for whicli I had tO' recommend the closuie of a School.