[Report 1919] / Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council.

  • Shropshire (England). County Council.
Date:
1919
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1919] / Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    23/58 (page 10)
    Those cases umloubtedly prove that malaria may arise in this country from infected persons coming from abroad. Tlie small number of sucli cases, notwithstandhig the large number of hifected soldiers, apiiears to show that the danger is very slight. It must be remembered too, tliat the summer of 191c) was a hot one favourable to the spread of a disease which is communi¬ cated through the bite of ajr insect. It is most imjirobable that circumstances so favourable to the spread of this disease will occur again m this country. Inve.''tigation by Mr. Groves, an emtomologist sent by the Local Government Board,'showed that the malaria mosquito could be found in farm buildmgs in practically every part of the Countv. Dyscufery.—Dr. Gepp reports (Clun Rural District). “ I reported in the Annual Report for 1916 on a somewhat extensive but vert' scattered outbreak of Bacillary Dysentery of Fle.\ner ty])e in the district. Several suspicious cases were reportetl by medical men in April and May' of 1917. mainly in the Clun area, but two also at Lydbury North. There was also a prevalence of diarrhoea at the time among children attending Clun School. The symptoms of strahting, and blood and mucus in the stools were common among the more severe cases of diarrhoea. The Count}’ Medical Officer atid I paid a visit and investigated a number of the cases. The cases appeared clinically to be tj'pical of dysentery of a milder type than those of 1916. Blood specimens were sent up for bacteriological examination from some eight cases, but no definitely positive result was obtained. In two cases only there was a slight reaction to the Flexner organism. Due precautions were taken, advice and instructions given to infected households, and disinfectants supplied. In 1919, three cases were notified in young children in one famil}' at Colebatch in May\ The blood test proved negative.” Wenlock Borough. ‘‘Two cases of suspected dysentery were reported from Broseley in March, 191S. In one case the patient was one of those similarly affected in 1916, as reported on in m}' Annual Report for that year. Investigation was made but no bacteriological evidence was obtained. No case of dy.senter3Mvas notified in 1919, and so far no definite light has been thrown upon the actual nature of these outbreaks, the bacteriological evidence in 1916 being negative as to bacillary dysentery. Precautions were advised and disinfectants supplied.” Poliomyeliiis.—Four rase5; were notified—two in Shrewsbury, one in Ludlow, and one in Oswestry. Arrangements have been made for supplying a specially trained nurse for these cases on application by wire from the Medical Practitioner. The following letter has been sent to all practitioners m the County :— , Dn.\R Sir, Poliomyeliiis. The question of the provision for early treatment of Poliomyelitis has been under con¬ sideration by the Public Health Committee. The Committee are advised that with early and efficient treatment it is possible to prevent deformity in almost ever}' case, and by a continuance of proper treatment to greatly increase the jiower and usefulness of the affected muscles. B} such treatment most of the disability arising fiom poliomyelitis would be prevented, and there would no h'nger be any necessity foi most of the major operations that are at present performed. The Committee have authorised me to make arrangements for jilacing a skilled orthopaedic nurse at your disposal for the treatment under } our supervision of any earl} case of ))oliomyelitis that may occur in your practice. If it is found desirable that the case should be removed to the Basrhurch Surgical Home, the County Council will bear the exjiense, if the patient is not able to pay.