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
Chelsea 1921
Annual report for 1921 of the Medical Officer of Health
This page requires JavaScript
11
hospital. The percentage of cases of school age (3 to 13 years), was 76,
as against 65 in 1920. The months of greatest prevalence were January
(13 cases), September (24 cases), and October (13 cases).
During the year medical practitioners sent 80 throat or nose swabbings
to the Lister Institute for bacterioscopic diagnosis, as compared with 90
in 1920. Of the 80 specimens, 25, or 31 per cent., afforded positive
evidence of the diphtheria bacillus, and 55, or 69 per cent., were negative,
the corresponding figures for 1920 being 21 per cent. positive and 79 per
cent. negative.
The following Table shows the average annual case rate, case fatality rate, and percentage of cases removed to hospital in each of six quinquennial periods since 1891 in Chelsea Home District (1891-1900), and Chelsea Borough (1901-20) :—
| Quinquennial Periods. | Average Annual case-rate per 1,000 pop. | Average Annual case-fatality rate. | Average Annual percentage of cases removed to hospital. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1891-5 | 2.69 | 18.7 | 43 |
| 1896-1900 | 3.00 | 17.1 | 64 |
| 1901-5 | 1.25 | 8.0 | 80 |
| 1906-10 | 1.86 | 8.8 | 89 |
| 1911-15 | 1.24 | 5.8 | 89 |
| 1916-20 | 1.35 | 8.9 | 92 |
The diminution in the Diphtheria case-rate has not been quite so
great as in the case of the Scarlet Fever case-rate. The great decline in
the case fatality-rate commenced in the nineties of last century following
upon the introduction of Diphtheria antitoxin.
Enteric Fever.
The number of cases of Enteric Fever notified in Chelsea in 1921
was 7, as against 5 in 1920. There were no deaths. Four of the cases
were removed to hospital. In 3 of the cases the infection was contracted
in Kensington. One case was that of a seaman, who landed from his
ship on the 9th April, and was taken ill on the 29th April. In three other
cases—a mother and two young daughters—the infection appears to
have been contracted in the parish of Nutfield, Surrey, in September.
In none of the 7 cases, then, was the infection contracted in Chelsea.
Six specimens of blood were examined for the Widal reaction, two proving
positive and four negative. A sample of faeces and of urine from a
supposed carrier were examined for the presence of Typhoid Bacilli with
negative results. This woman, who lived in Chelsea, was thought likely
as a chronic carrier, to have initiated an outbreak in Kensington, but
the evidence negatived this assumption.
Paratyphoid Fever.
Two cases of Paratyphoid Fever were notified in 1921, as against
3 in 1920. One of the cases was removed to hospital. Nothing was
ascertained as to any source of infection in these cases. One blood
examined showed the presence of paratyphoid B. organism.