View report page

42
In the County of London the case-rate was 0 40, and the
death-rate o'o6.
Forty-one cases, or 80.3 per cent, of the total were removed
to hospital, compared with 69.4 per cent. in 1903, and 73.8
per cent. in 1902.
In 7 instances the infection was found to have been
derived from a previous case of the disease in the Borough,
and in 7 other cases the patient was infected outside Battersea.
One of these patients was infected in Madeira, and another at
Emsworth. In 6 other cases there were reasons for suspecting
shell-fish as carrying the infection. Oysters were suspected in
4 cases, cockles in one, and mussels in one. Two patients had
eaten Emsworth oysters, and one patient mussels from
Leigh-on-Sea.
The number of houses invaded by the disease was 44. In
11 houses the drainage was found to be defective, and in 28
houses defects other than drainage defects were found to
exist. Facilities for bacteriological diagnosis are supplied
gratis by the Council to all medical practitioners in Battersea.
Each practitioner is supplied with an outfit containing
appliances for taking a specimen of blood for examination by
the Widal test. The practitioner is apprised of the result of
the examination by telegram, and the outfit is returned re-filled.
54 doubtful cases were examined, with a positive result in 12,
and a negative result in 42 cases.
Puerperal Fever.
The number of cases notified was 8, that number being
1 below the decennial average. 7 cases were notified in 1903
and 15 cases in 1902. The case-rate was 04, or '01 below the
mean case-rate for the preceding ten years, which was .05.
2 cases were fatal. The death-rate was .01, or '02 below
the decennial average, '03. The death-rate for London was
.04. 5 cases occurred in East Battersea, 1 in North-West
Battersea, and 2 in South-West Battersea.