London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Woolwich 1896
The eighth annual report of the health, sanitary condition, etc., etc., of the District of Woolwich for the year 1896
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The most careful investigation has been made with the view of
determining the cause of the increased prevalence of Diphtheria, but
with no satisfactory result. Crops of oases occurred in the neighbourhood
of three schools, viz.:—Eglinton Street and Union Street Board
Schools and St. Thomas's Church School. In no single instance could
any possibility of infection at school be found. The sanitary arrangements
in all the houses attacked were good, but in three or four cases
over-crowding was found; notices have, however, since been served and
the conditions remedied. In no instance could the disease be traced
to the milk supply. I append a map showing the distribution of the
disease.
On reference to the following returns of the Metropolitan Asylums Board we get the notifications of infectious disease, received by that Board for the corresponding six years from the whole of London:—
| 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | 11398 | 27095 | 36901 | 10655 | 19757 | 25647 |
| Diphtheria | 5907 | 7781 | 13026 | 18440 | 10772 | 13362 |
| Typhoid Fever | 3372 | 2465 | 3663 | 3360 | 3506 | 3190 |
| Small Pox | 114 | 423 | 2813 | 1192 | 979 | 225 |
Great attention has of late years been given to the increased incidence
of Diphtheria in London, and many causes for the same have
been assigned, but none have been adopted as affording a satisfactory
solution of the problem.
Last year I made the suggestion that facilities should be
afforded to Medical Officers of Health for obtaining a bacteriological
examination of the throat in cases of sore throat to determine whether
the affection was diphtheritic or not. This would appear the more
desirable from the fact of the necessity for the early treatment of
such cases with anti-toxic serum with the view of obtaining the
best result.
One case of Small Pox was notified during the year. The patient
was a steward on a P. and 0. Steamship, and had attended a passenger
supposed to be suffering from Chicken Pox. He was promptly removed
to Hospital, and no fresh cases arose.