[Report 1938] / Medical Officer of Health, Smethwick County Borough.
- Smethwick (Worcestershire, England). County Borough Council.
- Date:
- 1938
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: [Report 1938] / Medical Officer of Health, Smethwick County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![iM i;c nors diskasks anj) dislnkkctjon. J'lic |)()1k> pursiit’d by tlie deijartiiient is tlio saiiK' as lor tlio past tu</\cars. I unnediately on rei'cipt ot a notification ot int'ections disease, :lie premises are \isitetl liy a sanitai'X' inspector, lie makes arranj’ie- nieiits lor the elficient isolation ot the [latient. or alternately tor reino\al ..'I the patient to the hosiiital. Jn nian,\ cases, howcxer, this has been tione by the practitioner in chai'tie helorc the arrixal ot the inspector, the lattei' notes the circninstances in connection xx ith the case, such as • •iciipation ot patient and tainil.x’. sources ot milk supplx', etc., probable voiirce ot intection. etc. Any insanitary conditions noted are dealt xxith ,it o'lice. Leaflets ot imstruction a.s to the prexention ot spread ot intection are lett xxdth the householder, and the J'lducation (.’ommittee notified ol all children of school a^e in infected houses. On the termination ot the illness, the honsi'holder is recommended to disinfect the premi.ses bx thoi'ou<;h cleaniim;, usino onl.v swap and uater. In the case of the commoner intectioiis diseases, chemical disinfection is neither carried out nor recommended. Kxceptions are -iich diseases a.s pnimonar.x' tuberculosis and ty])hoid ti'xer, where thoroinrh chemical disinfe<-tion is carried out. It is felt that the use of disinteetants ijix es a false sense <it security, and lines nothing: to check the spread of intectioiis disease; it tends to lead householders in some cases to neglect the more important matters ol thorough xxashing xx ith .soap and xx'ater. AVe are satisfied that the best disinfectants arc sunlight, fresh air, soap and xvater and adxdse the householder to place reliance an these agencies, and not on chemical disinfection. The number ot lots of bedding, etc., remox-ed tor disinfection during the past year xx-as IHC. compidsing l,.‘1.5d articles. The folloxviug labh- gixes a classified list for the reasons for disinfection of premises during the |)ast fix'e years. Scarlet Fex'er ... I9;i4 G 1935 3 193G 3 1937 1938 8 Diphtheria 1 1 — 3 4 Tuberculosis ... 112 12G 118 121 130 Lnteric Fexer... 1 — 1 — 1 Fuerpcral I’ex er — — 1 — 4 Cancer 17 15 13 13 17 Schaols — — — — — Scabies and x-erminous I’onditions ... G-t G4 2G 4(1 39 Other causes ... m* 65 42 11 41 294 274 2t)4 18S 244 ITiemployed Clubs, etc. I-.,..](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b30091251_0028.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
