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In the County of London the case-rate was 0.50, and the
death-rate .07.
Fifty-nine cases, or 69.4 per cent. of the total were
removed to hospital, compared with 73.8 per cent. in 1902,
and 64.4 per cent., in 1901.
On 21st May, the Medical Officer of Health for the City
of London informed me that he had ascertained that a number
of disused army blankets had been supplied to certain
addresses in Battersea by two wholesale firms in the City, and
that blankets from the same source had been found to be
infected with the typhoid fever bacillus and had, in fact, given
rise to an outbreak of typhoid fever. It appears that these
blankets had been used by the troops during- the South African
war, and from their appearance it was evident that many had
been used in hospital. After the war the blankets had been
sold without previous disinfection, and many found their way
back to England. The number of these blankets discovered
in Battersea was 124, and all were promptly removed to the
Council's Disinfection Station and thoroughly disinfected.
The Council decided to charge the War Office with the cost of
disinfection and submitted an account for £2 4s., which was
paid by the War Office in due course. Special enquiries in
this connection were made into all the cases of typhoid fever
notified during the first half of the year, but no facts connecting
the disease with the returned army blankets could be
found.
The number of houses invaded by the disease was 79. In
10 houses the drainage was found to be defective, and in 19
houses defects other than drainage defects were found to
exist.
Facilities for bacteriological diagnosis are supplied
gratis by the Council to all medical practitioners in Battersea.
Each practitioner is supplied with an outfit containing
appliances for taking a specimen of blood for examination by
the Widal test. The practitioner is apprised of the result of
the examination by telegram, and the outfit is returned re-filled.
51 doubtful cases were examined, with a positive result in
24, and a negative result in 27 cases.