[Report 1929] / Medical Officer of Health, Leeds City.

  • Leeds City Council
Date:
1929
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1929] / Medical Officer of Health, Leeds City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    88/288 (page 74)
    Measles.—This disease was more prevalent in the city during the early part of the year and this is reflected in the increased number of admissions. These amounted to 166 patients as compared with 102 during the previous year. Deaths numbered 12, the mortality rate per cent, being 7-1 as compared with 67 for the previous year. The average stay in hospital for discharged cases was 20-1 days. In one case where laryngeal symptoms were pronounced, tracheotomy was performed with complete recovery. It is proposed to make more accommodation available for measles patients when the demands on accommodation for scarlet fever patients are less urgent. It is realised that measles is a very serious menace to infantile life when bad environment and inadequate nourishment are also present, and early treatment in hospital of suitable cases should meet with some return. The use of the blood serum of convalescent patients was introduced during the year. This may be employed to prevent the development of measles or to modify the attack of the disease. In hospital practice, the latter procedure is impracticable, but the former may be employed to prevent subsequent cases of measles in a ward into which measles infection has been introduced. The efficiency of convalescent serum is well established as a means of prevention, but there is the ever-present difficulty of obtaining suitable donors as few patients are old enough to be suitable for that purpose. It is hoped in subsequent years to develop this line of work. Enteric Fever.—Only seven patients were admitted during the year. Two deaths occurred, in each case within 24 hours of admission to hospital. The average stay in hospital of recovered patients was 62 days. Tuberculosis.—It was not found possible to make any provision for patients suffering from tuberculosis and none were admitted during the year. Puerperal Fever.—During the year 59 patients were treated in hospital and of these 11 died, giving a mortality rate of 18-6 per cent. The number of patients treated during the year is the highest recorded in the hospital for any year. An innovation has been made in the admission to hospital in certain cases of the babies with their mothers. During the year nine infants were admitted. Separation from the child is sometimes a factor in preventing the mother from accepting hospital treatment. In many cases the mother is