HH62/45/271

Transcription

[Page] 34

District, and a good deal of extra work has been caused by outbreaks of Infectious
Disease in some of the more inaccessible parts of the District, as well as in examination
of dwellings reported to be in an insanitary condition.
3. No Certificates have been required under the Public Health Acts during the
past year, nor has any action been necessary in connection with the sanitary condition
of Factories and Workshops.
4. Retail Bakehouses. - These have been inspected, and, with the exception of
one, found to be kept in very good order; the exception is a bakehouse in a very old
and dilapidated building, and it is only by close supervision that it can be kept as
required by the Act.
5. The arrangement by which the Eastern District Committee is entitled to use
the Perth Royal Infirmary as a Hospital for cases of Infectious Disease has been
found to meet all requirements during the past year. As the agreement made with
the Infirmary was only for five years, it will be necessary to reconsider the matter.
Since February, 1895, the Chief District Medical Officer, having ceased to be on the
Staff of the Infirmary, has not been in a position as formerly to supervise the
treatment of patients removed to Hospital from the District. The portable Small-
pox Hospital has not been required, but is ready for immediate erection should it be
required.
During the snow-storm in the early part of the year, for the first time it was
impossible to carry out a removal to Hospital when requested; the roads were
blocked with snow to a great depth for many miles, and a track having been cut
only wide enough to allow of the passage of vehicles having wheels of the ordinary
width, it was impossible to reach the place with the wide Ambulance Waggon.
6. The routine of urging removal of all cases of Infectious Disease to Hospital has
been followed, and, when that could not be carried out, isolation at home has been
insisted on. In one instance a nurse was provided for the proper isolation of a girl
so ill of Typhoid Fever as not to be considered fit for removal, who, from poverty,
was unable to pay for attendance. This patient was a pauper in the strict inter-
pretation of the word, but the Local Authority took upon it the entire cost of
providing for medical attendance, nursing and maintenance during her illness.
Respiratory Diseases caused 17 deaths, or 10.8 per cent. of the total, during
1895, as compared with 28 in 1894. Of these 7 occurred in persons over 60 years of
age, and 5 in children under 1 year.
Circulatory Diseases caused 34 deaths, or 21.6 per cent. of the total, during 1895,
as compared with 16 in 1894. Of these 34 deaths, 27 were of persons over 60 years of
age. The mortality from this class of diseases was more than double what it was during
1894, the excessive deaths being amongst the aged.
Tubercular Diseases caused 12 deaths, or 7.6 per cent. of the total, during 1895,
as compared with 13 in 1894. Of these 12 deaths, 9 were attributed to Pulmonary
Consumption. The record of the past two years for this Disease shows favourably
for the District.
Diseases of the Nervous System caused 15 deaths, or 9.5 per cent. of the
total during 1895, as compared with 19 in 1894. Of the 15, the age at death was
above 60 in 8 cases.
Diseases of the Digestive System caused 11 deaths, or 7 per cent. of the total,
during 1895, as compared with 8 in 1894.
Cancer and Malignant Diseases caused 10 deaths, or 6.3 per cent. of the total,
during 1895, as compared with 7 in 1894.
Developmental Diseases caused 6 deaths, of which 5 were attributed to
Premature Birth during 1895, as compared with 5 in 1894.

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Old Age was returned as the caused of death in 22 instances, or 14.0 per cent. of
the total, during 1895. In 1894 the number was 18.
Zymotic Diseases caused 5 deaths during 1895, as compared with 9 in 1894.
The total number of cases of Infectious Disease reported to the District Medical
Officer during the year was 49, as compared with 78 in 1894. The Zymotic Death-
rate was .522 in 1895, as compared with .930 in 1894.
Scarlet Fever caused 1 death during 1895. The number of cases of the disease
reported during the year was 22, as compared with 48 in 1894. The type of disease
was very mild, and as the cases were promptly reported, there was little difficulty
experienced in securing isolation.
Enteric Fever. - Two deaths were registered from this disease during 1895.
There were 15 cases of the disease reported during 1895, as compared with 7 in 1894.
Seven cases occurred at Ashgrove (a place which has before been visited by the
disease), 6 of whom were removed to Hospital, and as the remaining one was too ill
to permit of removal, her house was made into a temporary hospital, and everything
required provided at the expense of the Local Authority. Investigations made
in connection with the outbreaks of fever at Ashgrove revealed some interesting
facts in relation to well pollution, and clearly showed that chemical analysis alone is
not sufficient to prove a water safe for use. In 1893, when the first occurrence of
disease took place at Ashgrove, the water from the wells was analysed; in one,
only used by a small portion of the people, the water was found to be very bad, and
as it was so situated as to preclude any hope of improvement, the well was closed.
The two other wells yielded on chemical analysis a very fair result, but a bacterio-
logical examination revealed that the one used by the greater portion of the inhabitants
and the majority of the sick contained 1100 colonies of micro-organisms per cubic
centimetre, while the other well which was not so much used only contained 286.
The people were told to use the water from the latter well, and were practically
interdicted from using the former, while means were taken to protect it from
surface pollution. No more trouble was experienced until the outbreak of Fever
in 1895, when the water was again analysed. It was found that the well which had
formerly been so bad was now in a satisfactory condition, only containing 22 colonies,
but the other had become dangerously polluted, yielding 44,000 colonies; the chemical
analysis of both of these waters gave no evidence of dangerous contamination. The
pollution in both instances was due to waste water being thrown down in the vicinity.
The well formerly closed was now allowed to be used, and the other was closed, but
nothing was done in the way of protecting it from further pollution. Some months
later, as the proprietor wished to use the bad well again, a sample of the water was
examined bacteriologically, and found to give only 76 colonies, entirely proving that the
former contamination was due to the careless throwing down of waste water when
the well was in use.
Diphtheria. - Only 3 cases of this disease were reported during 1895. The
cause of the disease was the close proximity of a midden to the house. This was
removed.
Diarrhoea caused 2 deaths during 1895.
Deaths in which the cause of death is uncertified, or insufficiently stated, were 9,
as compared with 6 in 1894.

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