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
Stepney 1915
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Stepney]
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16
He died early on May 3rd.
A post-mortem examination was made, and the diagnosis of Typhus Fever
confirmed.
How is it the disease did not spread in the Infirmary? The theory is that
Typhus Fever is generally spread by lice. On admission, both these patients received
a warm bath and were put in clean clothes, their own clothes being disinfected.
There was, therefore, not much chance for the disease to spread through these
agencies. The disease can be spread by exhalations from lungs and skin, but it
rarely spreads in a well-ventilated ward, unless there are two or more patients
suffering from Typhus in the same ward. This suggests that the poison must be
present in a large quantity before it spreads the disease, but is rapidly destroyed
by dilution with fresh air.
Enteric Fever.
32 cases of Enteric Fever were notified during the year, or 12 less than in
the previous year.
8 occurred in the Limehouse District, with 1 death;
7 occurred in St. George-in-the-East, with no deaths;
10 occurred in Mile End Old Town, with 1 death;
7 occurred in the Whitechapel District, with 2 deaths.
The death rate throughout the whole Borough was .01 per 1,000 of the population,
while that for the whole of London was .02 per 1,000.
The decline in the incidence of Enteric Fever has been most marked during the last 15 years.
| In 1901 the number of cases notified was | 245 |
| 1902 „ „ „ | 273 |
| 1903 „ „ „ | 179 |
| 1904 „ „ „ | 183 |
| 1905 „ „ „ | 117 |
| 1906 „ „ „ | 119 |
| 1907 „ „ „ | 107 |
| 1908 „ „ „ | 83 |
| 1909 „ „ „ | 63 |
| 1910 „ „ „ | 111 |
| 1911 „ „ „ | 79 |
| 1912 „ „ „ | 51 |
| 1913 ,, ,, ,, | 70 |
| 1914 „ „ „ | 44 |
| 1915 „ „ „ | 32 |