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
Shoreditch 1900
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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The numbers of certificates of cases of scarlet fever received daily from April 1st to the end of May are as set out below:—
| April 1 | April 21 | May 11 | 8 | ||
| „ 2 | „ 22 | „ 12 | 9 | ||
| „ 3 | 1 | „ 23 | „ 13 | ||
| „ 4 | „ 24 | „ 14 | 4 | ||
| „ 5 | „ 25 | 1 | „ 15 | 3 | |
| „ 6 | „ 26 | „ 16 | 2 | ||
| „ 7 | „ 27 | 2 | „ 17 | 3 | |
| „ 8 | „ 28 | ,, 18 | 5 | ||
| „ 9 | 1 | „ 29 | 1 | „ 19 | 6 |
| „ 10 | „ 30 | 11 | „ 20 | ||
| ,, 11 | May 1 | 15 | „ 21 | 5 | |
| „ 12 | „ 2 | 9 | „ 22 | 1 | |
| „ 13 | „ 3 | 12 | „ 23 | 4 | |
| „ 14 | „ 4 | 10 | „ 21 | 4 | |
| „ 15 | 3 | „ 5 | 19 | „ 25 | 1 |
| ,, 16 | „ 6 | „ 26 | 9 | ||
| „ 17 | 1 | „ 7 | 22 | „ 27 | |
| „ 18 | ,, 8 | 15 | „ 28 | ||
| „ 19 | „ 9 | 14 | „ 29 | 3 | |
| „ 20 | „ 10 | 17 | „ 30 | 5 | |
| „ 31 | 3 |
In the subjoined table are contained the numbers of cases according to the dates on the certificates certified each day from April 25th to May 31st.
| April 25 | 1 | May 9 | 15 | May 21 | 1 |
| 26 | 2 | „ 10 | 8 | „ 22 | 3 |
| „ 29 | 8 | „ 11 | 5 | „ 23 | 4 |
| ,, 30 | 10 | „ 12 | 6 | „ 24 | 2 |
| May 1 | 19 | „ 13 | 5 | „ 25 | 4 |
| „ 2 | 11 | „ 14 | 2 | „ 26 | 1 |
| „ 3 | 15 | „ 15 | 4 | „ 27 | 4 |
| „ 4 | 6 | „ 16 | 1 | „ 28 | 4 |
| „ 5 | 5 | „ 17 | 4 | „ 29 | 1 |
| „ 6 | 14 | „ 18 | 4 | „ 30 | 4 |
| ,, 7 | 22 | ,, 19 | 3 | „ 31 | 2 |
| „ 8 | 18 | „ 20 | 5 |
The above tables show that after May 10th there was a very marked reduction
in the numbers of cases certified. Taking into consideration the incubation
period of scarlet fever, which varies from one day to a week, the illness in most
cases beginning between the second and fourth day after infection, if the milk
suspeoted was conveying the infection, on or about the eleventh of May there
should be a reduction in the number of certificates received, in view of the fact
that the milk was stormed on Mav 3rd.
Inasmuch, however, as the dates on
which the certificates were received, and the cases certified, were frequently
several days subsequent to the dates of the beginning of the attacks , in order to
get a clear idea of the association of the stoppage of the suspected milk with the
decline in the numbers of the cases, the dates of the beginning of the illnesses have
been tabulated, and the results are as set forth in the following table: