View report page

53
was admitted to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, suffering from severe
headache and other symptoms which were suspicious of a fractured
skull. He grew steadily worse, showing marked signs of mania and
ultimately of coma and collapse. He died on the 27th. At the
autopsy it was discovered that there were diffuse and well-marked signs
of inflammation of the membranes of the brain and spinal cord with
the formation of pus. The specific microbe was found to be present
(Diplococcus intra cellularis). At the inquest, which was held on 1st
July, and which I attended, medical evidence was given to the above
effect, and the Jury formed the opinion that the man died from natural
causes (namely, cerebro-spinal fever), and not from the blows which he
had received. It is impossible to say whether the injuries did, in point
of fact, serve as a starting-point of the disease, and if so, in what
degree. It should be added that there was no history of previous
illness in the family or house in which the diseased lived. The
premises were thoroughly disinfected on receipt of the notification, and
the family was kept under observation.
The fourth case occurred in an infant, D. C., aged 4 months, of 9,
Crawford Passage, who was notified on December 17th from the Royal
Free Hospital, where he had been an in-patient since December 9th.
The specific organism was isolated.
By an order of the London County Council of March 12th,
1907, the disease was made notifiable for six months. On September
13th, this notification was extended for a further period of eighteen
months.
WHOOPING COUGH.
There were 44 deaths from Whooping Cough, giving a death
rate of 0.45.
Whooping Cough is a disease of about two months' duration,
and is chiefly characterised by bronchial catarrh and a frequent
paroxysmal cough. It generally occurs as an epidemic late on in
the winter, say from January to March. Though no age is
absolutely exempt from Whooping Cough, it is essentially a
children's disease.