[Report 1902] / Medical Officer of Health, Workington Borough.

  • Workington (England). Borough Council.
Date:
1902
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1902] / Medical Officer of Health, Workington Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Ellerbeck Infectious Hospital. This hospital was opened for the recepti '>n of patients in the month of September, but so far only in three cases has removal been effected. This is much to be regretted, especially when it is borne in mind that Scarlet Fever still lingers in the district, and thr.t proper isolation can, in most instances, only be maintained (and the disease thereby eradicated) by taking advantage of the facilities offered by such an institution In time, it is to be hoped, public prejudice will be overcome, and in the meantime, much could be done in this direction if we could secure the co-operation of the medical attendant, for without this our own efforts, in most cases, are not likely to meet with much success. Smallpox. We had unfortunately during the year a further experience of the danger to be apprehended irom an invasion of smallpox, and a le ^Si, n on the necesf.ity of keeping ourseW s in a state of preparedness so as to be able eifectually to deal with this disease. In my last Annual Uepoin I wrote strongly on tnis subject, and endeavoured to impress upon you that the question of smallpox accommodation was a matter of the greatest urgency, and that the time to act was when we were free from the disease, and not when we were threatened with an epidemic. I am glad to sav that your Authority took a similar view of the situation and readily passed a l esolution for the erection or a portalile building. The difficulty (and a very serious one it was) that confronted us was the acquiring of a suitable site for tlie same, and unfortunately ere this could be solved we were face to face with the disease itself. A temporary arrangement entered into with the Port Sanitary Authority enabled us to make use of thei: Hospital on the Merchant’s Quay, and there to isolate thr3 cases which occurred, In this