The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-01-20 00:00:00

ROWLEY LOCAL BOARD

THE SMALL-PDX EPIDEMIC.

The usual monthly meeting of this Board was
held on Monday last, in the Board Room, Old
Hill, Mr. Connop presiding. The other members
present were Messrs, Plant, Green, Lowe, 13arker,
Penn, Taylor, Robertson and Hodgetts.
The Medical Officer of Health (Mr. Beasley) for
the upper district, reported that during the past
four weeks 57 deaths had been registered, the
death-rate per 1,000 per annum being 27.4, as com-
pared with 16.85 in the corresponding period of
last year. Fourteen of the deat'in were due to
zymotic diseases, viz., measles 6, scarlet fever 3,
smallpox 3, and whooping cough 2, Altogether
132 cases of measles, 37 cases of scarlet fever, and
6of typhoid fever had come under observation.
The small-pox epidemic was still increasing at
Tividale. The number of cases known to have
occurred up to the time of writing his last report
was 17, and the number of which he now had in-
tormatiun was 55, being an increase of 38 cases
since December 9th last. Thirty patients had
been admitted into the infectious diseases hospital
provided by the Board, 7 of whom had been dis-
charged convalescent, 3 had died, and 20 were now
under treatuient there. 'The hospital was not
ready for the reception of patients until December
23rd, on which date 14 were admitted; on the 25th
4 ;on the 31st, 2'• on January 3rd, 2; and on
January 6th, 8. He (the medical officer) found
that the accommodation at first provided was not
sufficient, and he, with the surveyor (Mr. Beale),
waited upon the Chairman of the Board (Mr.
Bassano), who gave his consent to their building
another wing. This_had been added to the build-
ing, and was now over-full. Finding that the ac
commodation, even with the added wing would not
i.e sufficient, especially if the
tdiseaseincreased in
anything like the proportions it had done, the
Chairman of the Board wris again waited npon,
and gave his authority for the accommodation to
be extended, either by the erection of another
wooden building or by the purchase of tents, and
he urged all despatch to be used in the matter. It
was found that a great saving wOuld be effected in
the purchase of tents, accordingly six were pro-
cured, and were now. ready for occupation. He
(the medical officer) had only had to apply for a
magistrate's order in one case since the first batch
of removals. Mr. Beasley supplemented his re-
port with a statement of the costs of the mainten-
ance of the patients in the Hospital, calculated at
the rate of 12s per head per week. It was, far
pauper patients. £l6 15s 21d; non-paupers,. but
wtio were not in a positions to pay, .21 4s; patients
in a better, .E 3 5s 2d ; total £2O 4s 4d. In
reference to the deaths which had occurred there
the relieving officer did not think himself justified
in ordering their burial at the parish expense, and
bills of the bills of the funeral expenses incurred
were now presented to the Board.
After the reading of the report, the Board con-
firmed the appointment of four persons, at various
salaries, to officiate as nurses, cook, removal officer,
&c., at the hospital,
Mr, T. V. De Denne, the medical officer for the
lower division of the parish, reported 90 deaP-s as
having occurred there during the last four weeks,
the death-rate being 26 per 1,000 per annum, as
compared with 14.7 in the corres)onding period
f last year. One death had occurred from scarlet
fever. Scarlet fever, measles, and whooping cough
IV ore prevalent in the Old Hill district, and at
Reddal Hill, and seemed to be on the increase.
No case of small-pox had been reported in this
division of the parish.