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
Deptford 1913
Annual report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Deptford
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53
Discovery.—Mild cases of indisposition or disease excite no particular
attention, or are attributed to other than the real cause by
parents, guardians, or friends, and are not submitted to medical
examination. In the autumn there are generally several instances
of parents and guardians failing to recognise as infectious cases slight
disturbances of health in children, until other children become infected,
and develop typical symptoms.
When cases of suspected infectious diseases occur there is sometimes
considerable difficulty and delay in making an exact medical
diagnosis in certain types of the diseases. Here bacteriological and
additional clinical examinations are brought to bear upon doubtful types,
and to check or confirm the diagnosis.
Special arrangements for the bacteriological examination and reports
upon doubtful cases have been made by the Council, but I hope eventually
to do all bacteriological work at our own laboratory.
The number of specimens of secretion, blood and sputum submitted to bacteriological tests during the year in suspected cases of Diphtheria, Typhoid or Enteric Fever, and Tuberculosis was 732, and the results of examination, were as follows:—
| Bacillus found. | Doubtful. | Bacillus not found. | Total. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria (Secretion) | 91 | 7 | 249 | 347 | ||
| Reaction obtained. | Doubtful. | Reaction not obtained, | Total. | |||
| Typhoid (Blood) | 0 | 3 | 6 | 9 | ||
| Bacillus found. | Doubtful. | Bacillus not found. | Total. | |||
| Tuberculosis (Sputum) | 77 | 1 | 290 | 368 | ||
| Miscellaneous | 3 | 0 | 5 | 8 | ||
Of the above examinations, 248 were made at the Council's Tuberculosis
Dispensary.