Medical Officer's annual report [to] Durban Corporation.

  • Durban (South Africa). Public Health Department
Date:
[1910]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical Officer's annual report [to] Durban Corporation. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    43/56 (page 45)
    WARD DISTRIBUTION. Wards ... 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Total. Cases ... 12 6 16 0 16 2 8 60 MONTHLY DISTRIBUTION. 1909. 1910. Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. June July Total. Cases, 5 4 8 5 3 2 4 5 ] 4 11 8 00 Deaths, 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 6 There has been a considerable increase in the number of these cases but as will be seen by the tables they have been fairly well spread over the year, and have occurred in many different parts of the Borough. When possible an endeavour has been made to get the notification confirmed by a bacteriological examination, but as will be seen, although 60 cases were notified, only 36 specimens of the throat exudation were sent, and of1 these 29 were negative. The injection of Diphtheria anti-toxin has, of course, revolutionised the treatment of this disease. The cost of anti-toxin, however, remains somewhat high, and in some cases owing to the inability on the part of the parents to provide the remedy the disease has progressed—in at least one case in fact to end fatally. I have caused to be sent out to all doctors in Durban a circular informing them that when called to a case of Diphtheria, and should the parents or guardians in their opinion appear unable to provide anti-toxin they are at liberty to use such remedy freely from their own stock, and on communicating with this Department its replacement will be immediately effected from our stock. I do not anticipate that such circumstances will be often met, but at any rate it will prevent any child in this Borough becoming dangerously ill or dying from Diphtheria on account of poverty, and it will further place the burden of providing such remedy on more proper shoulders and not as often happens on the humanity and at the expense of the medical attendant. WHOOPING COUGH. During the past year there has been a considerable number of cases of Whooping Cough throughout the Borough amongst all Races. As it is not a notifiable disease no approximation as to the number of cases can even be made. There is, however, a somewhat serious question met with in connection with cases of this disease, that is taking little patients down to the beach, where they are brought into contact with healthy children. The practice is almost entirely confined to visitors to the Borough. Several of such cases have been observed by the Baths Superintendent on that crowded part of the beach opposite the Bathing Enclosure. Although Whoop¬ ing Cough is not a notifiable disease, bye-laws relating to infectious diseases apply in every respect to it, and provide a penatly not ex¬ ceeding £10 from those in charge of a child who are convicted of having exposed such a sufferer without proper precautions in any public place. It is only slightly over a year ago since a medical man fa visitor) was fined £5 for exposing his child in the vicinity of the Bathing Enclosure while suffering from an infectious disease (Scarlet