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
Battersea 1910
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1910
This page requires JavaScript
34
In the above table it will he noted that the disease has been
fairly uniformly distributed over the Borough, though on the whole
East Battersea has suffered more than the other two divisions
of the Borough,
One hundred and ninety-three of the case notified were removed
to hospital. or 92.3 per cent. In 1909 the percentage of case
removed to hospital was 94.7, and in 1908 86.7 per cent. In the
sub-districts the percentage of cases removed to hospital were as
follows:— East Battersea, 95.7; North-West Battersea, 86.0;
South-West Battersea, 82.0.
The following table gives the age distribution of the case notified and of the fatal cases:—
| Age Periods-Years | Boro | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 3-4 | 4-3 | 5-10 | 10-15 | 15-25 | 25-65 | 65- | ||
| No. of Cases | 4 | 8 | 10 | 24 | 22 | 90 | 33 | 13 | 5 | .. | 209 |
| No. of Deaths | .. | .. | 1 | 2 | 1 | 8 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 12 |
| Case Mortality per cent. | .. | .. | 10 | 8.3 | 4.3 | 8.8 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 5.7 |
The total number of houses invaded by diphtheria was 173.
In 16 houses (in 9.2 per cent.) the drainage was found to be defective,
and in 39 (i.e., 22 per cent.) insanitary conditions other than
drainage defects were discovered.
The source of infection in about 25 per cent, of the cases notified
was due, there was reason to believe, to personal contact. In a
few cases there was evidence strongly pointing to the patient having
been infected at school. Four cases were post-scarlatinal cases,
which developed in hospital while the patients were recovering from
scarlet fever, and two patients were infected outside the Borough.
No "return case" of diphtheria occurred during the year. With
regard to the majority oil the cases notified the source of infection
was merely conjectural.
During the year 17 cases (i.e., 8.0 per cent.) notified as diphtheria,
and removed to hospital, were found not to be suffering from
the disease, and were discharged to their homes.
Four hundred and ten bacteriological examinations of suspectcd
cases of diphtheria were made during 1910, as compared
with 628 in l909. and 2,319 in 1908. In 129 a positive and in 281 a
negative result was obtained.