[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.

    32/58 (page 19)
    Lkngth of Stay in Sanatorium. Cases n which .permanent recovery may usually be anticipated Cases in wliich tcmiwraiA* though possiWe prolonged improvement may be anticipated .. Cases admitted for educational purposes All jiatients The percentage of eases discliarged as arrested,” and witliout tubercle 146.3 days. i3«.8 38.0 134 Q bacidi in the -niiium was 49, compared witli 56 in 1918, 50 in 1917. This most satisfactory result i.- probably tivco-iwincipally to the admission of cases in an early stage, and as early admission is the most important factor determining tlie utilit}’ of a sanatorium the greatly improved position in this rr^pect is a matter for congratulations. It is gratifying to know that no patient in whom there is a reasonable prospect of arrest or one of the disease is discharged owing to lack of accommodation, and that the waiting list is alwavs small, so that patients are never kept waiting any considerable length of time. There have*been a few exceptions in the case of children. Baschurch Surgical Home.—As a result of the County Council undertaking the payment i. l all cases of tuberculosis, and as a result of the establishment of an after-care scheme in con¬ nection with Baschurch, almost all cases requiring institutional treatment for surgical tuber¬ culosis are now admitted to the Home. Seventy-three cases of surgical tuberculosis were treated in the Home during 1919, and 118 »-.i5cs were under supervision at the after-care centres on December 31st, 1919. See also para, on page 26. Shelters.—^There are at present over 112 shelters in the County. The County Council have ]>r(ivided 97 ; Shrewsbury Borough 4 ; Atcham Rural District 2 ; \\Tiitchurch Urban Dis- triiT Council 2 ; Drayton Rural and Urban District Council 2 ; Chirbun,’’ Rural Di'^trict ( nuncil I ; the Ludlow Care Committee 4 ; in addition .several have been provided by private ii. dividuals. Shelters were originally provided for curative purposes, either forpatients who could not go 10 tlie sanatorium or for patients on their <lischarge, but perhaps an even more valuable iiM- for shelters is in providing living and sleeping accommodation for highly infectious cases. I'he removal of such a case from a crowded household into a shelter not only I'emoves a most di iugeruus source of infection, but also provides more room for the remainder of the occupants, aod thus reduces overcrowding. There will always remain a considerable number of cases that Cannot be dealt with at home by means of shelters, including especially those cases where the luotliLT of a family is the person affected, and those in which the surroundings of the home do not P' tinit of the use of a shelter. For all these, hosjntal beds are essential. Care Scheme.—A Centr.al Care Committee and local Care Committees covering the whole County, have been appointed. Broadly speaking, the object of these Committees is to keep irv tourh with the cases of phthisis throughout the County and by means of advice and help Vu < n.ibk- tlie patients to live as far as possible a s;matorium life ” ; and also to report un- fovou r.dde conditions that they cannot remedy. The Care Scheme is at present being revdsed. Hiunfection of- Houses.—Much correspondence has taken place between the County Council l.'K al Sanitary Authorities on this matter. It was suggested by me that phthisis houses should be disinfected on the following occasions : I-—Dn notification of the case. 2.—During progress of the case, to be detennined by the nature of the case and its sur¬ roundings. 3- —On removal to the sanatorium or change of address. 4- .After death. 5- —Disinfection of shelter when it has ceased to be used. All authorities have not vet signified their willingness to carry out the <.lisin feet ion here <<,^ScnU-d. Efforts should be made to get disinfection carried out satisfactorily in all districts.