[Report 1913] / Medical Officer of Health, Somerset County Council.

  • Somerset (England). County Council.
Date:
1913
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1913] / Medical Officer of Health, Somerset County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    33/122 (page 29)
    Edttcattonal work. In the antunin a nunil)or of INiblic Tjocturos wore inauo:nrato(l ])V tlio (V)unty .Insui’aiK'o ('oinniittec' to j)o))iilair/(' tlu' woi’k in (‘oinu'ction with 'rnhorculosis. One such Icctin’c was held in ea(*h of the Local Insurance' disti’icts, twelve in all being given. Idle meetings were addressed by eitlu'i* or both the (diaiianaii of the (bunty Louneil and the ('hairman of the (V)unty Insui'anee Committee, while short ])opular lectures illustrated bv lantern slides wei’e o:iven bv Dr. Short or mvself. The meetings wei'C well attended and did valuable w'ork. Educational ])osters are })ut up in tlie waiting rooms of the dispensaries and leaflets and ])recautions against infection are distributed there. Much valuable educational work is being carried out by the Health Vdsitors in tlie homes. Undoubtedly continued work of this character is and wall be necessary for many years to bring home to the general public the facts as to this disease and its method of spread. ISOLATION HOSPITAL ACCOMMODATION. My Annual Report for 1911 contained a detailed report in regard to the Hos})ital Accommodation in the Uounty, and the need for further provision. Very little alteration has taken place since this report was presented. The Shepton IMallet Joint Urban and Rural Hospital w^as opened for patients early in 1913, and has been found of great value. Steps have been taken to proceed with the Joint Isolation Hospital for Erome Urban and Rural. During the year })lans were })resented to the County (Muncil for approval, but were referred back for alteration and further consideration. Amended plans w^ere sid)sequently })resented early in 1914. Although the Order of the (Munty (Munch forming a Joint Hospital District for Clutton, Midsomer Norton, Radstock, and parts of Rath, came into operation May 1st, 1913, no material steps w^ere taken by that (Mmmittee during the year to provide a hospital. Not only w'ere no plans prepared, but no steps wTre taken to select a site. The Wincanton Isolation Hospital has been found to provide insufficient accommo¬ dation to deal with infectious cases in this Union. The existing accommodation only pi'ovides for the effective isolation of one variety of infectious disease. Steps are being taken by the Isolation Hospital (Mmmittee to consider the erection of a second block of buildings to enable at least tw’o diseases to be dealt with at the same time. At Rurnham, owing to the extensive outbreak of Scarlet Fever, the need for Isolation Hospital accommodation was badly felt, and the IMedical Officer of Health in a special report gives it as his opinion that an Isolation Hospital is urgently needed. Nothing appears to have been done by the Burnham Authorities in the matter. In the Keynsham Rural District J)r. Heaven di’aws attention in his Annual Rejmrt to the need for extending the existing Hospital Accommodation. He remarks in this connection :— “ The present building is ])ractically 21 years old ; it is of a temporary nature, was ereeted in a hurrv to deal with an outbreak of Small Box, and was not intended nor is it suited, to deal with the ordinary infectious isolation requirements of a district. There is only one ward block containing two wards ; only one di.sease can be isolated at a time with safety, and although improvements and additions in the way of wash-house, etc.,