[Report 1914] / Medical Officer of Health, Cannock U.D.C.

  • Cannock (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1914] / Medical Officer of Health, Cannock U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    17/38 (page 17)
    Xumber of cases amongst schoolchildren i6 Number of schools affected 7 Number of cases in persons other than sch(Jol- children (of which two were secondary’ to cases amongst schoolchildren) 17 Number of cases in wliich no children attending school resided in the house 5 MILK SUPPLY. One purveyor supplied four of the houses, one 3, two 2, and 14 one house. In one no milk had been used. ISOLATION. hiight cases were removed to hospital, and all these recox'cred. ANTITOXIN. In three ca.ses which were fatal no antitoxin was administered. I'wo of these were of the laryngeal type. In six fatal cases antitoxin was not administered till from 24-48 hours before death. ()ne of these was also a laryngeal case, and tracheotomy was also perfonned. In all other cases antitoxin was administered. The type of the disease was severe, in one third of the cases the illne.ss (piickly terminating fatally. In several cases death had occurred by the time the notifica- tion was received. Neveidheless, if delay had not occurred in the ad- ministration of antitoxin owing to medical help being sought too late, it is practically certain that the death rate would have l)ecu lower. Where this remedy is given in sufficient dosage, and iu the first day or two of the disease, it is completely successful iu nine ca.ses out of ten. The medical practitioners in the di.strict are supplied with antitoxin l)y the Council, and their stock is replaced as occasion re- i|uires. Cases occurred in all Weirds of the district, and in all months of the year, except August. No case was reported amongst school- children between June nth and October 7th, so that clo^Alre of the schools in August probably had little influence. Head teachers have instructions not to re-admit children who have been excluded on account of the disease until a certificate autho- rising resum])tion of school attendance has been issued by me. In lour cases diphtheria bacilli were found amongst “ contacts,” but no other CiLses were traced to them. 'I'wo cleared up, one is still under observation, and one left the district. When L discovered this 1 com municated with the Medical ()ificer of Health of the di.strict. Nuisances were found to exi.st at some of the j^rcmiscs which reijuired the attention of the Sanitar>' Ius[)ector.