London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Chelsea 1903

Annual report for 1903 of the Medical Officer of Health

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14
Enteric Fever.—The number of cases of enteric fever notified in
Chelsea in 1903 was 13, the case-rate being an exceedingly low one,
namely—1-75 per 10,000 of the population, as against 4'9 in 1902, and
5-3 in 1901. Six of the 13 cases were notified in the fourth quarter of
the year. In North Chelsea 5 cases were notified, in South Chelsea 8.
Four out of the 13 cases had a fatal termination.
One of the notified cases, which proved fatal, was probably not a
case of enteric fever. Of the remaining 12 cases, in 6 the infection was
contracted outside the Borough of Chelsea. In one of these cases the
consumption of infected cockles at Southend was in all probability the
cause of the disease.
Case Mortality.—The following Table shows the case mortality, or
percentage of deaths to notifications of scarlet fever, diphtheria (including
membranous croup) and enteric fever in Chelsea and London, in each
of the 14 years, 1890-1903.

TABLE XI.—Case Mortality in Chelsea, and in London, 1890-1903.

Scarlet Fever.Diphtheria and Membranous Croup.Enteric Fever.
Chelsea.London.Chelsea.London.Chelsea.London.
18907.05.717.624.117.423.0
18913.65.115.422.517.415.6
18925.34.322.923.913.617.2
18935.34.323.424.522.118.4
18945.15.221.723.614.718.1
18954.04.218.720.418.417.0
18964.93.722.919.314.717.7
18973.53.417.917.126.418.8
18984.23.415.114.825.019.3
18992.82.210.614.228.118.0
19003.02.69.912.824.417.5
19012.63.28.511.112.816.8
19024.03.110.011.016.616.3
19031.02.94.09.731.016.6

The case mortality of Chelsea scarlet fever cases—10 per cent.—is
exceedingly low, and shows the very mild type of the disease now
prevailing. The case mortality of the Chelsea diphtheria cases-—4.0 per
cent.—is also remarkably low, and like scarlet fever is the lowest
recorded since compulsory notification came into force in 1890. The
reduction in fatality of all London diphtheria cases from 23.6 per cent.
in 1894 to 9.7 per cent. in 1903 is also highly satisfactory, and is
largely the result of the almost universal resort in these cases to
Antitoxine as a curative agent. The Chelsea enteric fever case mortality
shows a high figure, but as the number of cases (only 13) was very
small, the figure has but little value for the purpose of comparative
statistics.