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Medical Superintendents not to be suffering from scarlet fever. One
case, a child of one year, had a fatal termination. In several of these
cases the symptoms were by no means distinctive of scarlet fever, but
they were intermingled with other typical cases of the disease, and it
seemed probable that all the cases had a common origin, and were due
to scarlet fever infection.
Diphtheria —Only 52 cases of diphtheria were notified in Chelsea
in 1905, equivalent to a case-rate of 7.0 per 10,000 of the population,
the lowest rate recorded since compulsory notification commenced. In
1904 the diphtheria case-rate was 8.2 per 10,000, and in 1903 13 4 per
10,000. In twenty weeks of the year not a single case of diphtheria
was notified in the Borough. In the first quarter of the year 11 cases
were notified, in the second quarter 9, in the third quarter 16, and in
the fourth quarter 16. The percentage of cases of school age (3 to 13
years) to the total cases in the Borough was 58 per cent., as against 67
per cent, in 1904. In North Chelsea 19 cases were notified, and in
South Chelsea 33. There were no outbreaks in the course of the year
specially attributable to school infection. There was no autumnal
increase in prevalence of the disease. The average duration of stay in
hospital of 29 cases, of which the records are to hand, was 50 days, as
against 54 in 1904. Five cases admitted to the M.A.B. hospitals were
subsequently certified by the Medical Superintendents of those institutions
not to be suffering from diphtheria or any other notifiable disease.
The average duration of stay in hospital of these 5 cases was 19 days.
During the year medical practitioners sent 12 throat swabbings to the
Lister Institute for bacteriological diagnosis, the costs being defrayed by
the Borough Council.
Enteric Fever.—The number of cases of enteric fever notified in
Chelsea in 1905 was 16, as against 13 in 1904, the case-rate again being
a low one namely, 215 per 10,000 of the population. Two cases were
notified in the first quarter of the year, 4 in the second, 4 in the third,
and 6 in the fourth quarter. In North Chelsea 10 cases were notified,
in South Chelsea 6 cases. Three out of the 16 cases had a fatal
termination.
Out of the 16 cases, in 3 the infection of the disease was contracted
outside the Borough of Chelsea. None of the cases were attributed to
the consumption of infected shell-fish. One case admitted to a M.A.B.
hospital was subsequently certified by the Medical Superintendent of
that institution not to be suffering from enteric fever or any other
notifiable disease. The duration of stay in hospital in this case was
22 days. The duration of stay in hospital of 6 other cases, which had
the disease and recovered, was respectively 95 days, 53 days, 64 days,
42 days, 51 days, and 41 days—average. 51 days.
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 in
London, in each of the 16 years, 1890—1905.