Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Report on the sanitary condition and vital statistics during the year 1903
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renewed and finally expired on January 6th, 1903. The
number of cases notified during the first week in January was
seven. A number of certificates were received after the expiry
of the order but were returned to their senders, as we had no
authority to pay for them.
SCARLET FEVER,
(Deaths, 13. Decennial average, 28.)
The number of scarlet fever cases reported during the year
was 390, of which thirteen terminated fatally, being a case rate
on the notifications of 3•3 per cent. The scarlet fever death
rate is equal to 0•09 per thousand population whilst that for the
whole of London is 0•08.
From the North sub-district 153 cases were reported, from the
South 85, and 152 from the East; 386 of these were removed to
hospital, but with respect to twenty-six a report was received
under the hand of one of the Asylums Board Medical Officers to
the effect that the patient was not suffering from any form of
notifiable disease. Many of these incorrectly diagnosed cases
were Rothelin or German measles, a disease which has some
resemblance to scarlet fever, and which sometimes causes
desquamation during convalescence.
The Inspector's reports on the sanitary condition of the residences
of the sick persons give the following particulars: In 170
instances the premises were in a fairly good condition, in 32 the
closets were defective, in 3 the drains inside the house were leaky
and in 41 the external drains were defective. In 3 instances the
premises were overcrowded and minor insanitary defects were
noted in 148. Twenty-four cases occurred amongst families
inhabiting single room tenements.
At 54, Warley Street, a tenement house occupied by four
families, two cases of scarlet fever, were reported. The family
attacked, comprising two adults and six children, occupied two rooms
and no attempt was made to isolate the two children suffering from