[Report 1914] / Medical Officer of Health, Chatham Borough.

  • Chatham (Kent, England). Borough Council.
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1914] / Medical Officer of Health, Chatham Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Table showing cases notified and deaths from Diphtheria during the past ten years. Year. Ciises Notified. Deaths. Death-Eate per ct nt. of 1905 25 2 cases attacked. 8 1906 29 o O 10 1907 30 4 13 1908 34 7 20 1909 65 16 23 1910 77 8 10 1911 74 5 6 1912 269 15 5 1913 139 8 5 1914 202 23 11 The quarterly notifications during 1914 were :— 1st Quarter 74 2nd ., 28 3rd ,, 30 4th ,, 70 The incidence of the disease has been widespread, and has not at any time been confined to any particular school. Sore throats in children, unless severe, are often neglected by parents, and inquiries into the causation of Diphtheria often reveal a histor}^ of antecedent sore throats, which have not been treated. 1 am glad to state that the advantages of Bacteriological diagnosis have been utilised more frequently than in past years. The numbers are given in another section of this Report. Antitoxin is supplied free of charge, and is stocked at the Town Hall, and at the Fire Station. It can be obtained at an}^ hour of the day or night. I cannot help feeling that a more extended use of this valuable remedy would both limit the duration of an attack, and also lessen the mortality from Diphtheria. The minimum dose to be administered is 4,000 units, and assuming that this quantity was given in each case for which it was supplied only 23 per cent, were so treated. I can only point out this unsatisfactory feature, and hope for future improvement. The precautionary/ measures adopted in addition to isolation are the exclusion of all contacts, of cases of sore throat occurring amongst school children, and a search for Diphtheria carriers.
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