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
Tottenham 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham District]
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46
incidence seems to have indicated "stormy weather," for with successive
rises and falls the apex of intensity of the epidemic was reached in
the week ended October 17th, when 51 notifications of these two
diseases were received.
The result of the prevalence of Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria
was that the 100 beds at the Council's disposal in the Metropolitan
Asylums Board's Hospitals were totally inadequate to meet Tottenham's
needs, and in all but six weeks of the year the hospital accommodation
was overtaxed, as many as 140 Tottenham patients being at one time
in residence there. But for the generosity of the Metropolitan Asylums
Board Authorities in extending to us the privilege of exceeding our
numbers, the Public Health Department would have been severely straightened in its administration.
Even with the facilities afforded us, many patients who ought, for the public safety, to have been removed to hospital, were kept at home, and the following table shows the numbers notified, the numbers removed to hospital, and the numbers kept at home.
| Scarlet Fever | Diphtheria | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. of cases notified | 666 | 354 | 1,020 |
| „ „ removed to Hospital | 385 | 237 | 622 |
| „ „ isolated at home | 281 | 117 | 398 |
The cases most clamantly requiring hospital treatment were first
removed, and thereafter those that could not be properly isolated at
home. Those who could find accommodation even at considerable
inconvenience and expense were obliged to forego the advantage of
hospital isolation.
Notwithstanding all precautions, multiple cases occurred as follows:
| Scarlet Fever | Diphtheria | Cases of | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | Diphtheria | |||
| Instances of Dual cases | 66 | 31 | 132 | 62 |
| „ „ Triple | 17 | 4 | 51 | 12 |
| „ „ Quadruple cases . | 8 | 1 | 32 | 4 |
| „ „ Quintuple „ | 3 | — | 15 | — |
| „ „ Sextuple „ | 2 | — | 12 | — |