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 1921
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | 550 | 2.5 | 26 | 0.11 | 4.7 | 98 |
| 1913 | *391 | *1.8 | 19 | 0.08 | *4.9 | 97 |
| 1914 | 426 | 1.9 | 30 | 0.14 | 7.0 | 87 |
| 1915 | 311 | 1.7 | 24 | 0.11 | 6.3 | 95 |
| 1916 | 383 | 1.9 | 23 | 0.12 | 6.0 | 95 |
| 1917 | 381 | 2.0 | 25 | 0.13 | 5.5 | 99 |
| 1918 | 340 | 1.9 | 31 | 0.17 | 9.1 | 93 |
| 1919 | 283 | 1.3 | 21 | 0.09 | 7.4 | 97 |
| 1920 | 680 | 2.9 | 33 | 0.14 | 4.8 | 97 |
| 1921 | 657 | 3.1 | 51 | 0.24 | 7.8 | 98 |
| * From 1913 onwards the figures have been corrected for errors in diagnosis. | ||||||
Of the notified cases of diphtheria, 710 (or 98.2 per cent.) were removed to hospital,
as follows:—
To Metropolitan Asylums Board Hospitals 708
To other hospitals 2
{Other statistical facts will be found on pages 34 to 36.)
Return cases.—(Definition : A case of diphtheria occurring within 28 days of the return
irom hospital to the same house of a previous case of diphtheria.)
Such cases occurred in 11 houses, in 9 of which there was one return case of diphtheria,
and in two there were two return cases. In 7 instances the return case occurred in the family
to which the (?) infecting case returned, and in 4 in a different family in the same house.
Five of the (?) infecting cases were found to have rhinitis (one of these had also enlarged
tonsils, and one a pustule on the eyelid), one otorrhœa, and one a septic finger. The other 4
showed no signs of infectiousness, though one of them had chorea and two slight enlargement of
the tonsils. Nasal swabs were taken from all the 5 rhinitis cases and the diphtheria bacilli
(morphological) was found in one case only (which was readmitted): diphtheria bacilli were also
found in the ear-discharge of the case with otorrhoea, and in the nose and throat of the case with
chorea (re-admitted). Swabs were taken from two other (?) infecting cases with negative results.
The intervals between the return of the first case and the occurrence of the return case
were 2, 3, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 15, 18, 19 and 23 days.
Diphtheria after scarlet fever.—In 10 houses cases of diphtheria occurred within 28 days
after the return from hospital to the same house of a previous case of scarlet fever. In 7 of these
there was only one case of diphtheria, but in each of two there were two cases, and in one there
were three cases. In 8 instances the case of diphtheria was in the family to which the previous
case of scarlet fever returned, and in two instances in a different family in the same house.
In three instances the (?) infecting case was found to have rhinitis. These were all
swabbed, and diphtheria bacilli (morphological) found in one case only (re-admitted). There
was one case with enlarged tonsils, which gave a " negative " throat swab. The other 6 cases
showed no obvious signs of infectiousness. Four of these were swabbed, and diphtheria bacilli
(morphological) were found in the nasal swab from two of them, who were re-admitted.
(10495) G