London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Fulham 1897
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year ending December 31st, 1897
This page requires JavaScript
12
SCARLET FEVER.
759 cases were notified of this disease, an increase of 132 cases as
compared with last year. The disease, as is generally the case, was
especially prevalent during the latter half of the year, the number of cases
in the four quarters of the year being :—
First Quarter 103
Second 122
Third „ 274
Fourth „ 260
The disease was somewhat more prevalent in Fulham than in the
adjoining parishes and the rest of London, as will be seen from the following
Table which gives the number of cases of Scarlet Fever notified per 1,000
of the population in Fulham, the three adjoining parishes and London in
1897 and the 7 previous years.
Number of cases of Scarlet Fever notified per 1,000 inhabitants:—
| Average for 7 years | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1890-96 | 1897 | |
| Fulham | 3.4 | 1.3 | 5.5 | 6.8 | 4.9 | 3.0 | 5.4 | 4.3 | 6.3 |
| Kensington | 2.3 | 1.9 | 4.3 | 5.6 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 6.0 | 3.6 | 4.4 |
| Hammersmith | 3.6 | 2.3 | 4.6 | 6.7 | 3.2 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 4.1 | 3.7 |
| Chelsea Home District | 3.3 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 3.1 | 6.6 | 5.7 | 4.6 | 4.1 |
| London | 3.7 | 2.7 | 6.4 | 8.6 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 5.8 | 5.1 | 5.1 |
The distribution of the cases was as under:—
| Cases | Cases per 1,000 of the population | Deaths | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barons Court Ward | 40 | 3.4 | 1 |
| Hurlingham „ | 34 | 5.1 | 1 |
| Lillie „ | 167 | 8.0 | 6 |
| Margravine „ | 157 | 7.9 | 7 |
| Munster „ | 101 | 6.0 | 3 |
| Sands End „ | 112 | 6.6 | 5 |
| Town „ | 38 | 3.9 | 3 |
| Walham „ | 110 | 7.0 | 1 |
568, or 75 per cent, of those suffering from this disease were removed to
the hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board.
Mortality.—Although more prevalent in Fulham than in any recent
year, excepting 1893, the fatality of the disease was low, there being 27
deaths, representing a case mortality of 3 .6 per cent. Of the 568 removed to
hospital 22 or 3.9 per cent., and of the 191 treated at home 5 or 2.6 per cent,
died.
Of late years there has been a marked decline in the fatality of Scarlet
Fever, thus for the 10 years ending 1892 the average case mortality in the