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
London County Council 1911
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Annual Report of the London County Council, 1911.
attack was upon males and females aged 4-5. The greatest incidence of death was upon males 2-3 and females 1-2. The fatality was highest among males aged 2-3 and females aged 1-2,
| Age-period. | Males | Females. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notified cases. (a) | Deaths. (a) | Case mortailty per cent. | Rates per 100,000 living | Notified cases. (a) | Deaths. (a) | Case mortailty per cent. | Rates per 100,000 living | |||
| Cases. | Deaths. | Cases. | Deaths. | |||||||
| All Ages | 4,829 | 95 | 2.0 | 228 | 4 | 5,654 | 79 | 1.4 | 237 | 3 |
| 0— | 59 | 4 | 6.8 | 120 | 8 | 63 | 2 | 3.2 | 131 | 4 |
| 1— | 198 | 9 | 45 | 441 | 20 | 171 | 15 | 8.8 | 385 | 34 |
| 2— | 316 | 22 | 7.0 | 665 | 46 | 320 | 10 | 3.1 | 681 | 21 |
| 3— | 446 | 13 | 2.9 | 955 | 28 | 427 | 10 | 2.3 | 908 | 21 |
| 4— | 471 | 9 | 1.9 | 1,030 | 20 | 579 | 10 | 1.7 | 1,270 | 22 |
| 5— | 2,078 | 27 | 1.3 | 965 | 13 | 2,422 | 19 | 0-8 | 1,116 | 9 |
| 10— | 746 | 7 | 0.9 | 376 | 4 | 977 | 9 | 0.9 | 483 | 4 |
| 15— | 256 | 1 | 0.4 | 133 | 1 | 227 | -- | - | 107 | —— |
| 20— | 115 | 1 | 0.9 | 60 | 1 | 187 | ■ | 79 | ||
| 25— | 111 | 2 | 1.8 | 31 | 1 | 230 | 2 | 0.9 | 53 | 0 |
| 35— | 27 | — | - | 9 | — | 37 | 2 | 5.4 | 11 | 1 |
| 45— | 6 | - | - | 3 | - | 10 | - | - | 4 | - |
| 155 & upwards | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | 1 | -_ |
Soarlet fever
—Incidence
in relation to
school
attendance.
In connection with the reduction in the number of notified cases during- the summer
holiday of the schools it may be stated that the summer holiday of the London County Council
schools began in 1911 on Thursday, the 27th July, i.e., the latter part of the 30th week, and the
schools re-opened on Monday, the 28th August, i.e., at the beginning of the 35th week.
If the number of cases notified in the four weeks which would be most subject to holiday influence be compared with the number of cases notified in the four preceding and four succeeding weeks, the results shown in the following table are obtained:—
| Period. | Notified cases—Age-periods. | Increase ( + ) or decrease ( —) per cent. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-3 | 3-13 | 13 and upwards. | 0-3 | 3-13 | 13 and upwards. | |
| 110 | 650 | 98 | - | - | - | |
| 80 • | 460 | 111 | —27.3 | -29.2 | + 13.3 | |
| 91 | 836 | 154 | + 13.7 | + 81.7 | + 38.7 | |
As in 1910 the mild character of the disease is referred to in many of the reports, and caused
difficulty in tracing the origin of local prevalence, which is due, in many instances, to infection from
unrecognised cases. In some reports, record is made of the attempts to trace the origin of outbreaks.
For instance, in Paddington, of 194 cases, 28 were ascribed to infection from outside the borough; 9 to
return cases from patients discharged from hospital; 7 cases in hospital supervened on diphtheria. In
Kensington, 84 cases, out of 227 showed a definite history of contact infection; 7 cases were attributed to
infection in school; 17 were "return cases"; 16 were infected from outside the borough; 3 were contacts
of missed cases. Of the 329 cases notified in St. Marylebone, in 38 instances a previous case in the
same family was suspected; 9 cases were supposed to be infected by a previous case in the same house
and 16 by previous cases in the same neighbourhood. In Hampstead, of 125 cases, 31 were the result of
infection by a previous case. Stoke Newington had 97 cases, of which 6 were ascribed to school
attendance; 9 to previous illness in the house; there was also 1 return case. Of the 171 cases in
Finsbury, the supposed source was in 10 cases, schoolfellows; in 4 cases, visits to the houses of friends;
1 the out-patients' department of a hospital; 16 were ascribed to visits in the vicinity ; 2 to places of
entertainment, and 3 were the result of cross infection in hospital. In Bermondsey with 305 cases,
there was a history of previous infection in 25 cases; 5 of them were due to school infection; and 6 were
return cases. The Woolwich report shows that of 496 cases notified, 46 were infected by other inmates
of the house; 28 cases were due to school attendance, 12 cases were the result of visits to friends and
neighbours; 2 cases were attributed to the fever hospital and 2 to school excursions; there were 29
" return cases."
(a) The cases are those notified during the year, but the deaths, which are fully corrected, relate to a period
commencing somewhat later, in order that they may correspond more closely with the cases upon which the casemortality
is calculated.