London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1915
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health 1915
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11
THE INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
For administrative purposes the epidemic infectious diseases are divided into two classes, those
which the householder is obliged by law to notify to the Medical Officer of Health, and those which are
not compulsorily notifiable. In Kensington the following diseases are compulsorily notifiable:
Small Pox.
Typhus Fever.
Plague.
Relapsing Fever.
Cholera.
Puerperal Fever.
Diphtheria.
Cerebro-spinal Fever.
Glanders.
Erysipelas.
Scarlet Fever.
Anthrax.
Typhoid or Enteric Fever
Hydrophobia.
Acute Poliomyelitis.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
SMALL POX.
One case of Small Pox occurred in Kensington during the year. The sufferer was a tea-planter
of Ceylon, aged 25 years, who, with five companions, came to England, via. Bombay, to join
H.M. Forces. On the voyage a case of the disease occurred, and was landed from the ship.
Upon arrival in Kensington, the patient fell ill on February 11th, the rash appearing on the 14th,
the case was at once diagnosed as Small Pox, and removed to the Hospital Ship. Disinfection
was immediately carried out, the Medical Officers of Health of the districts in which known contacts
resided were communicated with, and the inmates of the house in which the case occurred, revaccinated.
No further case broke out. In the Metropolis as a whole during the year 13 cases
were notified, viz.: 6 in Fulham, 2 in Greenwich, and one each in Bermondsey, Bethnal Green,
Kensington, Paddington and Stepney.
DIPHTHERIA.
During the year 161 cases of diphtheria were notified (a case rate of 0.94 per 1,000 of the
population), and of these 16 proved fatal. The death-rate per 1,000 of the population was 0.09,
and the case mortality, 9.9 per cent.
The seasonal incidence of diphtheria, with that of scarlet fever and enteric fever is illustrated by the subjoined Table:—
| Report for four weeks ended | No. of Notifications. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria. | Scarlet Fever. | Enteric Fever. | |
| January 30 | 11 | 43 | 0 |
| February 27 | 21 | 24 | 1 |
| March 27 | 14 | 33 | 2 |
| April 24 | 8 | 32 | 1 |
| May 22 | 14 | 44 | 2 |
| June 19 | 9 | 37 | 2 |
| July 17 | 9 | 25 | 0 |
| August 14 | 9 | 39 | 3 |
| September 11 | 9 | 42 | 1 |
| October 9 | 10 | 30 | 0 |
| November 6 | 16 | 27 | 1 |
| December 4 | 14 | 21 | 2 |
| January 1, 1916 | 17 | 17 | 1 |
| 161 | 414 | 16 | |
Bacteriological reports on 140 cases of suspected diphtheria were furnished free of charge to
medical practitioners, the diphtheria bacillus being found in 39 of the specimens examined.
This work is carried out at the Lister Institute and paid for by the Borough Council. In 31
houses where diphtheria occurred defects in the drainage system were reported and remedied at
the instance of the sanitary inspector for the district.