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58
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
Cases of Mistaken Diagnosis.
During the year information was received from the hospitals
of the Metropolitan Asylums Board that the patients removed to
hospital were not suffering from the disease notified, or any other
notifiable disease in 106 cases, compared with only 41 cases in
1902.
Of the cases treated at home no information was available
• whether the diagnosis was correct or not.
Of 1,109 cases of Diphtheria, Scarlet Fever, and Enteric
Fever removed to hospital, the diagnosis in 106, or 9.5 per cent.,
was incorrect. This is a very large increase compared with the
previous year when the percentage was only 2.8.
Enteric Fever shows a much higher percentage than the
other two diseases and this is also much higher than it was in 1902.
The percentage in Diphtheria has increased from 2 3 in 1902
to 12.4 in 1903, but this is, to some extent, due to the fact that,
acting on my advice, many practitioners notified cases of suspicious
sore throat as Diphtheria.
In 1902 77 per cent. of the total admissions to hospital were
found not to be suffering from the disease mentioned in the
medical certificate.
The percentage of Scarlet Fever was, in London in 1902,
47, and in this Borough 5.9 in 1903; of Diphtheria1I3.5 and 12.4,
and of Enteric Fever 21.2 and 27.2.