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
St Pancras 1915
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, London, Borough of]
This page requires JavaScript
Particulars about the individual cases are given in the following table:—
| Date of Notification. 1915. | Age and Sex. | Date of Onset. 1915. | Subdivision of Boro'. | Removal to Hospital. 1915. | Muscles affected. | Result. | Notified by. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9th April | M. 2 | 20th Mar. | W.2 in Ward 4 | No. | Right arm | (Lost sight of.) | R.M.O. at Uni-versity College Hospital. |
| 15th May | F. 3 | 28th April | S.2 in Ward 4 | University College Hospital, 17th May | Left anterior tibial muscles. | Paralysis persists. | Ditto |
| 2nd Sept. | F. 3 | 23rd Aug. | W.4 in Ward 5 | University College Hospital, 31st Aug. | Both lower limbs. | Paralysis persists. | Ditto |
| 22nd Oct. | M. 1½ | Aug, | N.5 in Ward 2 | No. | Right leg. | Paralysis persists. | R.M.O. at Hamp-stead General Hospital. |
| 18th Not. | F. 3½ | 10th Nov. | W.2 in Ward 4 | No. | All the muscles below the neck. | Legs (more) and arms (less) still paralysed: still improving. | Consulting Physician. |
| 19th Nov. | M.1½ | 11th Nov. | E.3 in Ward 3 | No. | Left leg. | Paralysis persists | R.M.O. at University College Hospital. |
| Sth Nov. | F. 3 | 2nd Nov. | E.5 in Ward 6 | London Temperance Hospital, 8th Nov. | Left arm and hand; left side of face; loss of speech. | Left arm and left leg still affected. | R.M.O. at London Temperance Hospital. |
| 30th Nov. | F. 3 | 5th Nov. | W.4 in Ward 5 | London Temperance Hospital, 11th Nov. | Both arms and legs; intercostals. | Paralysis persists in arms and legs. | Ditto |
Careful inquiries were made in each case and no source of infection or
relation between the cases was discovered.
EPIDEMIC CEREBRO-SPINAL MENINGITIS.
St. Pancras shared in the outbreak of cerebro-spinal fever which made its
appearance in London and other parts of the country in 1915.
37 cases were duly notified, 3 of which afterwards proved not to be suffering
from this disease. In addition 4 other cases were reported after death.
Of the 38 true cases, one was in the person of a soldier, the number of
civilian cases notified being 37, giving an incidence rate of 0.18 per 1000 civil
population.
25 deaths from this disease were registered as belonging to St. Pancras. Of
these, one was in the person of a sailor (R.N.), the number of civilian deaths
being 24, equal to a death-rate of 0.12 per 1000 civil population.