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
Walthamstow 1930
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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80
Complications.—Cardiac Paralysis, 12, three being cases of
"late Cardiac Paralysis" occurring in the seventh week of the illness
and were in all instances fatal. Other types of paralysis, 39. Two
cases of Otorrhoea occurred in cases of Diphtheria with Measles.
Acute infective Jaundice, 3. In two instances the condition was
present on admission; in the third the patient developed the condition
a month after admission.
One patient was sent to Whipps Cross Hospital with acute Osteomyelitis
of the lower end of the humerus.
A girl, aged six years, admitted as a mild case of Diphtheria,
died of acute Miliary Tuberculosis after eight days in Hospital.
One case admitted as Diphtheria showed nasal and ear discharge
from the same side and apparent facial paralysis of that side. A
consultant was called in to see the case and a foreign body (a plug
of newspaper) was removed from the nostril of the affected side.
Non-specific inflammation of tonsils occurred in 24 cases.
MONTHLY ADMISSIONS OF SCARLET FEVER CASES.
| Under 5 years. | 5 to 10 years. | 10 to ]5 years. | Over 15 years. | Total. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | F | M | F | M | F | M | F | ||
| January | 6 | 5 | 15 | 17 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 61 |
| February | 4 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 36 |
| March | 4 | 3 | 10 | 16 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 54 |
| April | 4 | 1 | 10 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 35 |
| May | 4 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 33 |
| June | 2 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 30 |
| July | — | 1 | 5 | 12 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 22 |
| August | 2 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 1 | - | 1 | — | 20 |
| September | — | 3 | 6 | 8 | — | 4 | — | 5 | 26 |
| October | 2 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 25 |
| November | 3 | 2 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 42 |
| December | 3 | 2 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 50 |
| Totals | 34 | 40 | 108 | 119 | 34 | 33 | 31 | 35 | 434 |
In only one case could death be ascribed to a condition which was
the direct outcome of Scarlet Fever. The patient, a girl of 15 years,
died from the impaction of an embolus following scarlatinal
endocarditis.
Complications.—Otitis, 60; Otorrhoea, 52; Empyæma, 1;
Retro-pharyngeal abscess, 1; Rheumatism—Acute 1, transient 12,
Nephritis 2, Suppurative adenitis 14 (some degree of cervical adenitis
was present in practically all cases); Endocarditis, 1; Purulent
rhinitis, 20 (streptococcal 16, diphtheritic 4); Broncho-pneumonia,
10; Paralysis of left side of face and left leg, 1. This child, in the
acute stage, appeared mentally defective, but the mental condition
later was quite normal.