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As a precautionary measure a routine examination of abnormal
stools for the presence of dysentery bacillus should be made, but
there is always a possibility that an epidemic in a ward of children
may be started by the admission of a carrier who has never suffered
a recognisable attack of the disease.
Towards the end of the year there was a marked increase in the
incidence of dysentery. A letter was accordingly sent to private
medical practitioners in the Borough drawing attention to the
prevalence of dysentery in London and reminding them that the
stools of suspicious cases could be sent to the Borough Bacteriologist
for examination.
Encephalitis Lethargica.
No cases of this disease were notified during the year. There
were three deaths of Camberwell residents certified as being due to
encephalitis lethargica, none of whom had ever been notified in
Camberwell.
The department keeps in touch with known cases of encephalitis
lethargica and during 1937 periodical visits were made to 14
of these patients.
Erysipelas.
Of the 79 cases of erysipelas notified during the year 50 were
removed to hospital.
Food Poisoning.
Food poisoning is a notifiable disease under the Public Health
(London) Act, 1936.
During the year 37 notifications were received of patients who
in the opinion of a qualified medical practitioner were suffering
from food poisoning. In the majority of cases the illness was
confined to an individual member of the household, and was possibly
due to some physical idiosyncrasy of the person attacked. The
articles of food stated to be the incriminating agent of the illness of
the persons notified were chiefly meat, fish and sweets.
Malaria.
Two cases of malaria induced for therapeutic purposes of
patients in Mental Hospitals outside the Borough were notified
before discharge in accordance with the requirements of Article 5
of the Infectious Diseases (London) Regulations, 1927.