London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Bermondsey 1913

Report on the sanitary condition of the Borough of Bermondsey for the year 1913

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II.—NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE.
In Table 111. of Appendix will be found particulars of infectious
diseases notified during the year under report.
The number of cases notified exclusive of notification of phthisis
which numbered 760 was 1193, compared with 896 in 1912 and
943 in 191 1. The diseases which show a decrease on the number
for the previous year are erysipelas (40), typhoid fever (8), ophthalmia
neonatorum (18), puerperal fever (6), acute polio-myelitis
or acute polio-encephalitis (6), membranous croup (3), while those
showing an increase are scarlet fever (321), diphtheria (34). The
number of cases notified in the registration sub-districts was 800
in Bermondsey against 598 in 1912, 339 in Rotherhithe against
238, and 54 in St. Olave against 60 in 1912.
The attack-rate per thousand inhabitants was 9.6, the rate
for the sub-districts being 9.8 for Bermondsey, 9.8 for Rotherhithe,
and 6.2 for St. Olave. The corresponding rates in the previous
year were 7.1 for the Borough, 7.3 for Bermondsey, 6.9 for Rotherhithe,
and 7.0 for St. Olave.
33 cases were returned from hospital as not suffering from the
disease for which they were notified, but if allowance is made for
mild unreported cases, the recorded notifications would, if anything,
understate the actual number of cases.
Small-pox.
No cases were notified during the year under report.
Typhus Fever.
One case of typhus fever was notified during the year under
report.
H.L. female, 20 years, of No. 15, Woolf Street, was notified
on May 24th as suffering from typhoid fever, but, on removal to
hospital the same day was found to be suffering from typhus fever
and notified from the hospital accordingly. This disease has no
connection with typhoid fever and 40 or 50 years ago was very prevalent
in many of the large towns. It has, however, practically
died out with the exception of Liverpool, in England and one or two
places in Scotland and Ireland. Almost every year a single case
occurs in London, but it does not seem to spread any further.
The only serious outbreak we have had in Bermondsey was in
1903.