[Report 1940] / Medical Officer of Health, Cumberland County Council.

  • Cumberland County Council
Date:
1940
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1940] / Medical Officer of Health, Cumberland County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    40/62 (page 40)
    New patients suffering from gonorrhoea who resided in Carlisle dropped from S4 in 1939, to 51 in 1940. Tho.se residing in Cumberland from 51 in 1939, to 24 in 1940. Although not within the scope of this report, it is of great importance to note that during the hrst 0 months of the year 1941 there have been 10 new cases of early syphilis, and 50 of early gonorrhoea. The corresponding figures for the same period in 1940 were 2 and 39. Thus it is evident that the outbreak of venereal disease reported much earlier in other parts of the countr}^ has now reached Cumberland. ft is anticipated that the hnal hgures for 1941 will show a great increase in the work of the Carlisle Clinic. Routine methods of treatment remained unchanged during 1940 except that it has been found that Sulphathiozole (AT & B. 700) is equal in therapeutic effect to Sulphapyridine (AT & B. 093) in the treatment of gonorrhoea, and is much less toxic. It can thus be given in larger doses, and it has been found most useful in treating women who often cannot tolerate AT & B. 093 in dosage large enough to cure. Un- fortunatel}' there has been considerable difficulty in obtaining su])plies from the makers. At the Whitehaven Clinic the attendance was practically the same as in 1939—823 (compared with 821). 'I'here has been a considerable increase in the number of seamen, mostly foreign, attending. Almost without ex- cejAion the}' arrive at Workington, and only come to the W'hitehaven Clinic if their ships happen to be in port on the day on which the Clinic is open. This number does not in ail}' way represent the number of seamen requiring treatment. Eleven .seamen attended the Clinic in 1940. In 1941 up to the time of writing this report (15th August) there have lieen 12. Attention to this has been drawn by the W'orking- ton Tort Authority with a request that facilities for treatment .should be provided in Workington without delay. Tliere are several wa}'S of dealing with this problem, \ 1/,. (I) pro\ision of a j)ermanent \’.l). Clinic at Working- ton, preferabl}' at the Inlirmary, where both male and femafe patients can be treated ; (2) proi'ision of a treatment centre near tlie dock for men onl}-. This would probabl}' ha\’e to be a wooden hut ; (3) Ifstablishiug a ticneral Practitioner Service wherebx' certain jiractitioners in W'orkington would receive payment for ])ro\iding treatment. The sclieme for a hut appears to be the most suitable.”