View report page

138
ON THE SANITARY CONDITION OF
Diphtheria and Membranous Croup.—The notifications of this
disease in London were at the rate of 3.14 per 1,000 inhabitants, as
compared with 2.7 in 1895. The rate for this District was 1.45
per 1,000 inhabitants, having been 1.2 in 1895. The death-rate for
London per 1,000 inhabitants was 0.60 for this District 0.12, for
the Sub-District of St. Anne, Soho, 0.81, and for the Strand SubDistrict
0.16. Diphtheria like Scarlet Fever affects more especially
the younger ages of life as is shown in Table XII. above; up to
10 years of age the male sex suffered a little more than the
female, but after that age the cases in the Strand District were
solely among females, doubtless due to the fact that they would
be in closer attendance upon children suffering from this disease
than would males. Seventeen males and 19 females were affected;
2 of the former and 1 of the latter died.
Defective sanitary conditions were found existing in houses in
which 13 cases occurred. In 4 families second cases developed;
inclusive of these, direct infection was traced in 8 cases.
From the chart showing the number of cases of scarlet fever
and diphtheria notified weekly in London, it will be observed that
there is a very great similarity in the curves of the two diseases.
The same is also noticeable in accompanying diagram showing
the cases notified during the
last seven years in the Strand
District. There is indeed, often,
such an apparent similarity in
the symptoms of the two diseases
as to lead to the one being
sometimes mistaken for the
other. During recent years
considerable attention has been
given to the bacteriological
examination of affected throats,
and it is found that cases of apparently
simple sore throat are
due to the presence of the germs
believed to produce diphtheria, while on the other hand, cases
(even ending fatally) appearing to be diphtheria, may not be due
Notifications in the Strand District
during the Years 1890—96.