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
Fulham 1900
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year ending December 31st, 1900
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19
Scarlet Fever.
There was a marked diminution in the prevalence of this
disease in Fulham in 1900, as compared with the previous year,
552 cases being notified, as against 811 in 1899, but the case-rate
was again higher in Fulham than in London and the three
adjoining parishes, as will be seen from the following table:—
TABLE XV. Number of cases of Scarlet Fever notified per 1,000 of the population.
| 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | Average 10 years, 1890-1899. | 1900 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulham | 3.4 | 1.3 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 5.4 | 6.3 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.0 | 4.05 |
| Kensington | 2.3 | 1.9 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 6.0 | 4.4 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 3.7 | 2.11 |
| Hammersmith | 3.6 | 2.3 | 4.6 | 6.7 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 3.19 |
| Chelsea Home District | 3.3 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 3.1 | 6.6 | 5.7 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.0 | 4.3 | 2.44 |
| London | 3.7 | 2.7 | 6.4 | 8.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 5.8 | 5.1 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 4.8 | 3.00 |
The disease was again more prevalent in the South than in
the North of the borough, but this is probably accounted for by
the age constitution of the districts. Of the 552 cases, 464 or
84 per cent, were removed to an isolation hospital.
Mortality The disease was again generally of a mild type,
but the fatality was slightly in excess of that of the previous year,
there being 23 deaths, representing a case mortality of 4.2 per
cent, compared with 3.9 per cent, in 1899. Of the 464 removed
to hospital 22 or 4.8 per cent, and of the 88 not removed to
hospital 1 or 1.10 per cent. died.
Return Cases.
In seven instances the disease occurred within 10 days of the
return of a child, living in the same house, from one of the
Metropolitan Asylum Board's Hospitals after recovery from a
similar attack.
The report of Dr. Simpson, who investigated, on behalf of the
Asylums Board, all the return cases which occurred between
October 1898 and March 1899, has been recently published by the
Managers. Dr. Simpson summarises his conclusions as follows : —