Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year ending December 31st, 1902
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87
Enteric Fever.
There was a notable diminution in the prevalence of Enteric
Fever as compared with the preceding year, 74 cases being
notified, against 133 in 1901, giving an attack rate of
52 per 10,000 inhabitants against 9.7 in 1901. Renewed
attention has been recently called to the causation of Enteric
Fever by the consumption of contaminated shellfish, and the
Council have urged upon the Local Government Board the
necessity for legislation to prevent the laying down of all edible
forms of shellfish in sewage-polluted creeks or other dangerous
localities and to protect all unpolluted beds from sewage contamination.
Last year 5 of the Fulham cases were probably
connected with the consumption of shellfish, some form of
these having been partaken of at a time which corresponded with
the incubation period of Typhoid Fever, while no other source of
infection seemed probable. The shellfish in these cases were
eaten at Ramsgate (oysters), Brighton and Southend (oysters
and cockles), Littlehampton (oysters), Dublin (cockles), and
London (oysters). 53 or 72 per cent. of the cases notified were
removed to hospital.
Fatality.
The disease was the cause of 9 deaths, giving a case
mortality of 122 per cent., the average for the past 9 years
being 19'5 per cent.
Comparative Incidence of Enteric Fever in Fulham.
The following table shows the incidence of Enteric Fever in
Fulham, the adjoining boroughs, and the County of London,
during the last ten years:—
TABLE XXV. Cases of Enteric Fever notified per 1,000 inhabitants.
1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 | 1900 | 1901 | Mean for 10 years, 1892-1901. | 1902 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fulham | 0.43 | 0.56 | 0.32 | 0.52 | 0.46 | 0.44 | 0.53 | 0.84 | 0.69 | 0.97 | 0.58 | 0.52 |
Kensington | 0.31 | 0.58 | 0.58 | 0.59 | 0.56 | 0.62 | 0.42 | 0.61 | 0.61 | 0.56 | 0.55 | 0.45 |
Hammersmith | 0.41 | 0.65 | 0.51 | 0.54 | 0.49 | 0.42 | 0.57 | 1.01 | 0.90 | 0.68 | 0.62 | 0.45 |
Chelsea | 0.52 | 0.77 | 0.92 | 0.73 | 0.68 | 0.54 | 0.57 | 0.60 | 0.84 | 0.56 | 0.68 | 0.49 |
London | 0.61 | 0.92 | 0.53 | 0.80 | 0.72 | 0.70 | 0.68 | 1.00 | 0.97 | 0.70 | 0.77 | 0.74 |