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
St Pancras 1919
Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1919
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48
return from hospital to the same family of a previous case, which suffered
from "rheumatism" and a sore ear after return.
There was also one case of scarlet fever occurring five days after the return
from hospital to the same family of a previous case of diphtheria. The
diphtheria case showed no signs of infectiousness.
DIPHTHERIA.
348 (civil) patients were notified in 1919 as suffering from diphtheria or
membranous croup. Of these 64 were afterwards found not to be suffering
from the disease by Medical Superintendents of the Metropolitan Asylums
Board, and 1 by other medical practitioners.
The corrected number of diphtheria cases (civil) notified was therefore 283,
ecpial to an incidence rate of 1.29 per 1,000 civil population.
The number of deaths from diphtheria certified during the year was 21,
equal to a death-rate of 0.09 per 1,000 civil population and a case mortality
of 7.4 per cent, of cases notified.
In the following Table are set out the corresponding figures for the past 10 years:—
| Year. | No. of Notifications. | Notification rate per 1,000 population. | No of Deaths. | Death rate per 1,000 population | Case mortality per cent. | Percentage of cases removed to hospital. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.7 | ||||||
| 1.5 |
* From 1913 onwards the figures have been corrected for errors in diagnosis.
Of the notified cases of Diphtheria, 337 (or 96.8 per cent.) were removed
to hospital, as follows:—
To Metropolitan Asylums Board Hospitals 333
To other hospitals 4
Other statistical facts will bo found on pages 34 to 36.