BRITISH 375 8 November 1969 MEDICAL JOURNAL 375 News and Notes PARLIAMENT Queen's Speech the problem, he hoped, and it should be reorganized local government. The Govern- possible to provide a selective range of control ment aimed to make known its views on local In addition to promising legislation to of new substances and drugs very quickly government reorganization in a White Paper. improve the control of dangerous drugs (see after they came on the scene. His present At the same time it would issue for public B.M.J., 1 November, p. 312) the Queen's intention was to ask that the Government discussion a revised Green Paper on the Speech on 28 October foreshadowed legisla- should be given power to license the produc- administrative structure of the Health Ser- tion arising from the Seebohm Committee's tion and distribution of drugs which could vices. A small interdepartmental social work recommendations on local authority and allied be misused, as well as the import and export group was considering those matters together. personal social services, fresh proposals about of such drugs. LORD AMULREE said that he still had grave the future administration of the N.H.S., He was consulting a wide range of pro- doubts about the wisdom of many of the legislation to rationalize the work of the fessional and other organizations to get recommendations of Seebohm. The terms of Monopolies Commission and the National absolutely right the control over prescription the committee's inquiry omitted reference to Board for Prices and Incomes and to combine of drugs. The doctor who did not resist the social workers in hospitals, so no cognizance them in a new body, further efforts to secure importuning of a drug misuser or would-be had been taken of the work of medical social a ban on biological methods of warfare-a trafficker undermined the work of his pro- workers or psychiatric social workers. This particular concern with chemical and biologi- fessional colleagues. There had been a recent made for some difficulty, if the intention was cal weapons was mentioned-and legislation illustration of how long it took to deal with to create a separate social work department, for the safety, health, and welfare of those on that kind of doctor. Drtug trafficking was a and would tend to increase the gap between offshore drilling stations. more vile trade than drug-taking and the Bill local authority and N.H.S. work. The medi- would distinguish in penalty between those cal profession seemed to be largely excluded who pushed and trafficked in drugs and those from the proposed social work department, Control of Dangerous Drugs who took them. The difference in definition but many problems which came before a would be difficult and was one of the matters social welfare department had a medical back- Speaking in the Commons on 29 October in which he would need the help of the ground, and doctors should be more strongly the Home Secretary, Mr. JAMES CALLAGHAN, House. He proposed steep penalties for those involved than had been recommernded in the said that the Drugs Bill he would be bringing who trafficked. Seebohm Report. forward would replace the present rigid and ramshackle collection of Drugs Acts by a single comprehensive measure. Present legis- Seebohm and the Green Paper lation was fragmentary and inadequate. Ten Rabies Quarantine years ago, when heroin and cannabis had In the House of Lords on 29 October the occupied practically the whole stage, the LORD CHANCELLOR was asked about the The quarantine regulations on the import drugs problem was small and seemingly implementation of the Seebohm Report. He of dogs into Britain are to be extended to simple, but today the scene was much wider. said that the reference in the Queen's Speech cover certain exotic species of animals subject The misused drugs now included a wide was an earnest of the Government's intention to rabies, said Mr. CLEDWYN HUGHES, range of stimulants, sedatives, and hallucino- to make a start with the drawing together of Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, gens. The problem was mainly of young the local authority social work services and to on 29 October, in a statement on the case of people, and although the effects of some of settle the future structure of the Health Ser- rabies in a dog at Camberley (see B.M.7., 1 the drugs was not measurable, enough was vice. Consultations on Seebohm were being November, p. 310). An official of the known to say that many young people were pressed forward, but final decisions could not Ministry said later that exotic species included running into grave dangers. sensibly be taken on that or on reorganization monkeys, animals of the squirrel family, The Bill would demonstrate that we were of the Health Service until the Government badgers, gophers, genet cats, pine martens, moving towards a more scientific control of had taken a view of the basic structure for pole cats, and skunks. EPIDEMIOLOGY Laboratory Reports been higher than average in most weeks of gastroenteritis were admitted to an infectious- this year. The increase is explained in part diseases hospital. All were found to be The following notes are based on reports to by the identification and reporting of types excreting E. coli type 0.119 in their stools, ihe Public Health Laboratory Service from that have not been routinely recorded in pre- and though they were admitted from home public health and hospital laboratories in the vious years. Many of the cases have been it was discovered that all had been born in United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland for in outbreaks, nearly all in hospital wards, the same maternity hospital. Admissions to the week ending 24 October. involving two or more children from the maternity hospital were stopped and whom the same serotype has been isolated. rectal swabs were taken from 60 babies there Escherichia coli Altogether there have been 55 such episodes. and in another hospital to which some babies The serotypes most commonly responsible were transferred after birth. Cultures of 14 So far this year over 5,000 cases of gastro- were types 0.26, 0.86, 0.114, 0.125, and swabs yielded E. coli of the endemic type. enteritis in children under the age of 2 years 0.126. Seventeen deaths have been associated Two of 70 staff were also infected. Nine have been reported from whom enteropatho- with infection by this organism. of the 14 babies with positive swabs and 14 genic Escherichia coli was isolated. This One of the largest of the outbreaks, which other babies born in the same materaity represents a considerable increase on the took place in May, illustrates the well-known hospital were later admitted to the Infectious- average number for the corresponding months pattern of spread of infantile enteritis. In diseases hospital, though three had litde of the last three years, and the number has a period of 12 days seven young babies with diarrhoea. 376 8 November 1969 News and Notes MEDICALBRITLSHJOLRNAL Thus, altogether 30 babies born in the Abortions and Chelsea, and Merton (2) ), 8 from Tees- cases from Cambridge same hospital were admitted during a period side C.B., and single of about four weeks, and 21 of them had In the second quarter of this year 13,116 M.B., Portsmouth C.B., Nottingham C.B., diarrhoea with E. coli type 0.119 isolated abortions were performed in England and Staines U.D., and Lanark county. from stools. All but one of the babies with Wales. Of these, 9,358 were for risk of positive stool cultures were born in the three injury to the physical or mental health of the Malaria weeks before the closing of the maternity patient ; 532 for risk of injury to health of Cases of malaria were reported during the hospital. existing children; 459 for risk to life of the week ending 24 October from: Westminster 1 On the assumption that all the babies were patient; 357 for substantial risk of the baby (Greater London), Richmond R.D. 1 infected while in hospital an indication of being abnormal; and 11 in emergency. (Y.N.R.), Bradford C.B. 1 (Y.W.R.). the probable incubation period can be deduced Some 2,400 others were performed for combi- for those discharged home within one or two nations of reasons.-Registrar General's days of birth. There were four such babies, Quarterly Return for England and Wales, Graphs of Infectious Diseases in whom the interval from birth to onset of No. 482 (H.M.S.O., 1969). symptoms ranged from five to ten days, with The graph below shows the uncorrected an average of seven days. By contrast, in Infectious Diseases numbers of cases of whooping-cough in those transferred to another hospital before England and Wales. Figures for 1969 are going home (10 babies) the interval ranged Hong Kong 'Flu in New (Guinea compared with the highest and lowest figures from seven to 23 days, with an average of for each week in the previous years shown. 13 days, which suggests that some children Nearly 2,000 deaths from influenza have NoOF WHOOPING COUGH were infected in the second hospital. been reported from New Guinea in the last CASE S Sixteen of the 26 strains of E. coli isolated month. The situation is made worse by a 1800- were resistant only to streptomycin, two to serious shortage of food in the worst-hit 1700- J-'HIGHEST 1960-68 colomycin and streptomycin, one to colomycin areas. Rice and fish are being flown in, and 1600 - 1500 - and terramycin, one to ampicillin, and one to relief flights will continue until March, when I 1400- aw ampicillin and terramycin; the remainder local crops are due to be harvested.