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August, 1912
Public Health THE J O U R N A L OF
The Society of Medical Officers of Health. t
No. 12.
S E P T E M B E R , 1912.
VOL. XXV. -j
A U G U S T , I912. "Let us talk of the weather." F E W escape the thrall of the schoolmaster in this life, and the tyranny of the school makes August the li61idgty month of fhe year. The f~ctor,which d6e~ more than any other to make or mar the holiday~!s the'w'eather that subject of Ur~iimited smalFtalk. This year the •~6a~ther of August has distinguished itself, and is Worthy of a brief notice in these columns. We have sought relaxation and recreation in the beautiful Channel Islands, or, to be more precise, in " s u n n y Jersey." This year that name has been a misnomer, the sun having been Conspicuousby its absence. High winds and~'ff'iuch raiii~,'with a temperature far'below summer heat, have made out-door recreatiSii almos~';hopeless: We c a m e for a " s u m m e r holid~ry," and have found "winter." The scientific records of the month are as depressing as personal experience, and form a striking contrast Wit:h~ those of I 9 t L The highest temperature recorded up to the 24th o f the month Was 7 o ° ~ 2 6 Q less than that of August, I9Ir, and o n Io-:days the thermometer did not reach 65 ° . , D n 2I out of the 24 days rain felt; the total failamounting to 3"2 in. The amount of b r i g h t sunshine, 79 hours, was less than one-third o]~ the record (243 hours) of August of last year. So farAugust, I89r, has held the record for .iriClemency, but August, I912, will certainly rival, if not surpass, the record. The results of the inclement season may be expected to be most serious,as regards the public generally. The harvest has been spoilt not only in England, but elsewhere; and the prices of foodstuffs, already too high, are certain 'to rise Still more. Such increases in the cost Of fdod dannot fail to influence public health during the winter. The only relief to the general sense of depression produced by the bad weather is the low prevalence of summer diarrhoea; but even that wilt be overweighted by the increase i n m o r t a l i t y from
¢
pulmonary diseases. 'With such a heavY rainfall--which spells ground saturati0n, hig h level of "ground-water," and rivers in f l o 0 ~ it will be interesting to observe the course of enteric fever during the forthcoming autumn.
NATIONAL INSURANCE ACT. ~ THE WEST I~]~DING COUNTY COUNCIL SCHEME, - -,.A
which has recently been adopted T H Eby scheme the West Riding County Couneil~bf Yorkshire for the trdfi.tment of tuberculosis Was prepared by Dr. J. R. Kaye, hon. sec. of the Yorkshire Branch of the Society, who is also t.he county medical officer of health of the West Riding. It is one that may commend itself to other similar districts. Thirteen tuberculosis officers are to be appointed to assist the county medical officer, and the scheme provides for the establishment of ten dispensaries; each consisting of a house with bedrooms for the temporary reception of 2, 3, or 4 cases. The staff will consist of a whole time tuberculosis officer with special training in tuberculosis; two nurses specially trained;in, the work with a view to assisting in the education of patients in the principles of sanatorium treatment who will by periodical visits assist both the tuberculosis officers and the general practitioners in supervising home treatment. District and other voluntary nursing associations will be utilized where possible. In connection with the dispensaries, branch dispensaries are to be established in Various centres where needed, and it is intended that the districts shall be changed as soon as the branch dispensary has done its work. It is proposed t0:associatelocal committees with the work of the dispensaries. One sanatorium, with I5O beds, is to be established. This scheme is only intended primarily for the West. Ridirrg~ the Yorkshire county boroughs contemplate establishing their own dispensaries, and will not in every instance combine with the West Riding County Council.
The Society of Medical Officers of Health. t
No. 12.
S E P T E M B E R , 1912.
VOL. XXV. -j
A U G U S T , I912. "Let us talk of the weather." F E W escape the thrall of the schoolmaster in this life, and the tyranny of the school makes August the li61idgty month of fhe year. The f~ctor,which d6e~ more than any other to make or mar the holiday~!s the'w'eather that subject of Ur~iimited smalFtalk. This year the •~6a~ther of August has distinguished itself, and is Worthy of a brief notice in these columns. We have sought relaxation and recreation in the beautiful Channel Islands, or, to be more precise, in " s u n n y Jersey." This year that name has been a misnomer, the sun having been Conspicuousby its absence. High winds and~'ff'iuch raiii~,'with a temperature far'below summer heat, have made out-door recreatiSii almos~';hopeless: We c a m e for a " s u m m e r holid~ry," and have found "winter." The scientific records of the month are as depressing as personal experience, and form a striking contrast Wit:h~ those of I 9 t L The highest temperature recorded up to the 24th o f the month Was 7 o ° ~ 2 6 Q less than that of August, I9Ir, and o n Io-:days the thermometer did not reach 65 ° . , D n 2I out of the 24 days rain felt; the total failamounting to 3"2 in. The amount of b r i g h t sunshine, 79 hours, was less than one-third o]~ the record (243 hours) of August of last year. So farAugust, I89r, has held the record for .iriClemency, but August, I912, will certainly rival, if not surpass, the record. The results of the inclement season may be expected to be most serious,as regards the public generally. The harvest has been spoilt not only in England, but elsewhere; and the prices of foodstuffs, already too high, are certain 'to rise Still more. Such increases in the cost Of fdod dannot fail to influence public health during the winter. The only relief to the general sense of depression produced by the bad weather is the low prevalence of summer diarrhoea; but even that wilt be overweighted by the increase i n m o r t a l i t y from
¢
pulmonary diseases. 'With such a heavY rainfall--which spells ground saturati0n, hig h level of "ground-water," and rivers in f l o 0 ~ it will be interesting to observe the course of enteric fever during the forthcoming autumn.
NATIONAL INSURANCE ACT. ~ THE WEST I~]~DING COUNTY COUNCIL SCHEME, - -,.A
which has recently been adopted T H Eby scheme the West Riding County Couneil~bf Yorkshire for the trdfi.tment of tuberculosis Was prepared by Dr. J. R. Kaye, hon. sec. of the Yorkshire Branch of the Society, who is also t.he county medical officer of health of the West Riding. It is one that may commend itself to other similar districts. Thirteen tuberculosis officers are to be appointed to assist the county medical officer, and the scheme provides for the establishment of ten dispensaries; each consisting of a house with bedrooms for the temporary reception of 2, 3, or 4 cases. The staff will consist of a whole time tuberculosis officer with special training in tuberculosis; two nurses specially trained;in, the work with a view to assisting in the education of patients in the principles of sanatorium treatment who will by periodical visits assist both the tuberculosis officers and the general practitioners in supervising home treatment. District and other voluntary nursing associations will be utilized where possible. In connection with the dispensaries, branch dispensaries are to be established in Various centres where needed, and it is intended that the districts shall be changed as soon as the branch dispensary has done its work. It is proposed t0:associatelocal committees with the work of the dispensaries. One sanatorium, with I5O beds, is to be established. This scheme is only intended primarily for the West. Ridirrg~ the Yorkshire county boroughs contemplate establishing their own dispensaries, and will not in every instance combine with the West Riding County Council.