London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Metropolitan Borough of]
This page requires JavaScript
1914]
102
isolation of the cases at home. It is, however, a very difficult matter to say
when a case should not be removed, in view of the strong feeling of the public
generally about infectious diseases. Consequently only 13.7 per cent, of the
patients remained at home.
The following tabular statement has been prepared to show the growth of the percentage number of cases treated in the various public institutions connected with the Borough :—
| Year. | Cases treated in Hospital. | Percentage of cases treated. | Yiar. | Cases treated in Hospital. | Percentage of cases treated. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SMALLPOX.
No case was notified during the year, and only three cases occurred in
London.
SCARLET FEVER.
To Scarlet Fever was attributed 1,853 attacks, which is the highest return
for 10 years.
The disease began to be prevalent towards the end of September, 1913,
when the weekly curve gradually rose until it reached its highest point in the
second week of November: it then fell gradually to the end of the year,
and continued to fall until ttfe beginning of May, 1914, when, as will be
seen by the chart, it rose slightly, but almost immediately began again to
fall, so that in mid-July the attacks were below the average of the preceding 10
years. They then began to become much more numerous, so that the number
was far above the decennial average. The chart shows this very clearly, and
it will be seen that in the first week in November the peak rose very abruptly,
indicating as many as 91 cases in that week. Thence, onwards to the end of
the year there was a gradual fall in the curve, although the number of cases
continued to be very much above the average.