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
Hackney 1905
Report on the sanitary condition of the Hackney District for the year 1905
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The following table shows the distribution of the disease in the respective sub-districts of the Borough.
| Sub-districts. | North. | Central. | South-East. | South-West. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Cases of Scarlet Fever. | 131 | 307 | 378 | 265 |
| Attack rate per 1,000. | 2.4 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 4.3 |
It will be seen from this table that the disease was most prevalent
in the Central and South-East Sub-Districts.
The deaths from scarlet fever during the year numbered 18
which is equivalent to a mortality of 17 per 1,000 attacked and .08
per 1,000 living persons. The mortality rate for London for the
same period is .12 per 1,000 living.
During the year a Report was presented to the Metropolitan
Asylums Board by their Medical Investigator, Dr. A. G. R. Cameron,
on the subject of cases of Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria caused by
infection from persons returning home from hospital after being
treated for these diseases. The Report was submitted to the
Board's Medical Superintendents for their observations, and I give
below their recommendations.
Recommendations of the Board's Medical Superintendents—
Scarlet Fever.
As a result of our examination of the facts brought forward by
Dr. Cameron, and such other sources of information as are known
to us, we recommend—
1. That as far as practicable every patient, as soon as he is in
a fit condition, and without regard to age or sex, be
transferred from the Acute to the Convalescent Hospitals.
2. That a discharge ward for Scarlet Fever be established at
each hospital, into which the patient could be admitted
and bathed not later than the day before discharge.