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 1915
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, London, Borough of]
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47
home next day; post mortem cerebro-spinal fever was discovered.
W.K.R. (M., 9 months), next door, became ill on the 1st June, and
was removed to hospital on the 3rd June, where the diagnosis of
cerebro-spinal fever was confirmed. He recovered. There was no
definite history of actual contact between the cases, and an indefinite
history of " colds " at W.K.R.'s house was elicited.
Age and Sex Distribution.—The 37 cases and the 20 resulting deaths had
the following Distribution :—
Age Distribution.
| Age—Years, | Cases. | Deaths. |
|---|---|---|
| 0—1 | 6 | 5 |
| 1—2 | 4 | 2 |
| 2—3 | 0 | 0 |
| 3—4 | 0 | 0 |
| 4—5 | 3 | 2 |
| Total under 5 | 13 | 9 |
| 5—10 | 8 | 6 |
| 10—15 | 7 | 3 |
| 15—20 | 5 | l |
| 20—30 | 2 | l |
| 30—40 | 1 | 0 |
| 40—50 | 1 | 0 |
The Sex Distribution was as follows :—
Sex Distribution.
| Sex. | Cases | Deaths. | Case Mortality Rate. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male | 18 | 9 | 50% |
| Female | 19 | 11 | 58% |
Amongst the 21 cases under 10 years of age, the case mortality was 71 per
cent., while amongst the 16 cases over 10 years of age the case mortality was
only 31 per cent.
The mortality varied, not only according to the age of the patients, but
also according to the season of the year. Amongst the 21 cases (11 under
10 years of age and 10 over 10 years of age) which took their onset before
May, the case mortality was 38 per cent., while amongst the 16 cases (10 under
10 years of age and 6 over 10 years of age) which began during or after May,
the case mortality was 75 per cent. This difference can clearly only be
accounted for to a small extent by the different age distribution of the patients