London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Holborn 1903
Report for the year 1903 of the Medical Officer of Health
This page requires JavaScript
15
SCARLET FEVER.
During the 52 weeks ended Saturday, the 2nd January, 1904, the number of scarlet fever
notifications, excluding duplicates was 144 : 55 in Bloomsbury and St. Giles, and 89 in the Holborn
District. All except 10 were removed to hospital. In the preceding year the number of notifications
excluding duplicates, was 202, and in the year 1901, 254. During the year 1903, there were only
four deaths from this disease, 3 belonging to Bloomsbury and St. Giles and 1 to the Holborn District.
There was no special outbreak of the disease during the year, and there was no special incidence of
the disease in any one of the schools.
Three cases occurred in three houses and two cases at eight houses, leaving 119 houses in which
there was only one case during the year.
The following table gives the details of the secondary cases. I have included the houses in
which there was a secondary case within the previous twelve months in order to show that many of
the so-called " return " cases are not really due to the discharge of the patient from hospital in an
infectious state.
SECONDARY CASES OF SCARLET FEVER.
| Houses. | Date of Notification of Primary Case. | Date Returned from Hospital. | Date of Notification of Secondary Case. | Date Returned from Hospital. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | Ist January, 1903 | 15th May, 1903 | 5th January, 1903 | 21st February, 1903 |
| (2) | 26th May, 1902 | 24th July, 1902 | 27th January, 1903 | 30th March, 1903 |
| (3) | 22nd August, 1902 | 16th October. 1902 | 2nd April, 1903 17th April, 1903 | 6th June, 1903 25th June, 1903 |
| (1) | 11th May, 1903 (peeling) | 3rd July, 1903 | 17th April, 1903 18th May, 1903 20th julu, 1903 | 25th june, 1903 4th july, 1903 4th july, 1903 |
| (5) | 20th April, 1903 | 17th October, 1903 | 20th July, 1903 27th May, 1903 | 25th July, 1903 |
| (6) | 21st March, 1903 | 23rd May, 1903 | 7th July, 1903 14th July, 1903 (peeling) | 14th October, 1903 14th October, 1903 |
| (7) | 16th July, 1903 | 19th November, 1903 | 7th August, 1903 | 2nd December, 1903 |
| (8) | 14th August, 1903 | 17th October, 1903 | 15th August, 1903 | 17th October, 1903 |
| (9) | 10th September, 1903 | 6th February, 1904 | 19th September, 1903 | 9th January, 1904 |
| (10) | 6th July, 1903 | 10th October, 1903 | 9th November, 1903 13th November, 1903 | 22nd March, 1904 9th March. 1904 |
| (11) | 2nd November. 1903 | *8th December, 1903 | 10th November, 1903 | *8th December, 1903 |
| (12) | 15th December, 1903 | 11th March. 1904 | 17th December, 1903 | 26th March, 1904. |
* Returned not Scarlet Fever.
In house (1) the secondary case was probably contracted from the first before the patient was
removed to hospital.
In house (2) the secondary case occurred more than six months after the return of the first
case from hospital, and was most probably contracted at school, and had nothing whatever to do with
the first case.
In house (3) the secondary case occurred about six months after the return of the first patient
from hospital, and the infection was probably not caused by the first case.
House (4). See below in "Return" cases.
In house (5) the first patient was very ill, and was frequently visited by his mother, and did
not return home until nearly five months after the second case had been removed to hospital.
House (6). See below in " Return " cases.
In house (7) the secondary case occurred on the 24th day after the rash in the first case, and
may have been contracted from some article that was put away without being disinfected.
In houses (8) and (9) each of the secondary cases was probably contracted from the first case
before removal to hospital.
In house (10) the two secondary cases were probably " Return " cases. See below.