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 1924
The annual report on the health of the Borough for the year1924
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Following the removal of the patient and disinfection of the house, all the occupants were
placed under daily medical observation. In addition, numerous Kensington contacts of the
Willesden cases were vaccinated and kept under daily observation.
No one in Kensington or elsewhere contracted small pox from this patient.
During the year other cases occurred in London as shown below:—
Chelsea 1 case. St. Pancras 1 case.
Westminster 1 case.
Scarlet Fever.—The number of cases notified during the year was 281, of which 265 were
removed to hospital. The cases notified in the three preceding years were 870, 471 and 205.
Although there were 76 more cases than in 1923, scarlet fever was not epidemic at any period
of 1924, and for the past two vears the Borough has been fairlv free from this disease.
The following table shows the number of cases notified in each four.weekly period during 1924.
| District. | Period No. 1. | Period No. 2 | Period No. 3 | Period No. 4. | Period No. 5. | Period No. 6. | Period No. 7. | Period No. 8 | Period No. 9. | Period No. 10. | Period No. 11 | Period No. 12. | Period No. 13. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 740 | 671 | 678 | 712 | 812 | 929 | « 843 | 827 | 807 | 1131 | 1208 | 1136 | 1233 |
| The Borough | 14 | 16 | 20 | 14 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 30 | 25 | 38 | 44 | 30 | 31 |
| North Kensington | 8 | 11 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 25 | 21 | 32 | 31 | 21 | 18 |
| South Kensington | 6 | 5 | 12 | 2 | 10 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 9 | 13 |
| Wards. | |||||||||||||
| St. Charles | 4 | 1 | — | — | 4 | 8 | 10 | 6 | 15 | 14 | 7 | 4 | |
| Golborne | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 7 | 6 | |
| Norland | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
| Pembridge | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| Holland | — | 3 | 3 | —. | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | — | - | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Earl's Court | 1 | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| Queen's Gate | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | — | 3 | 2 | —. | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Redcliffe | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Brompton | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — |
Cases of mistaken diagnosis are not excluded from the above Table.
The mildness of the disease is reflected in the low death rate; there was only one fatal case
in Kensington during the year. The deaths in the three preceding years were 8, 6 and 2.
Four of the 281 cases of scarlet fever notified were patients in the same family as a
person who had, within the previous 28 days, returned from hospital after having been treated for
this disease. In addition, one of those developing the disease was a member of another family
living in the same house as a person who had been discharged from hospital after scarlet fever less
than 28 days previously. Cases of this kind are called "return cases," and a very careful investigation
was made in each of the 5 with a view to ascertaining the source of infection, but no
satisfactory clue could be obtained.
Forty-two cases notified as suffering from scarlet fever were found, after admission to hospital,
hot to be suffering from any infectious disease at all, with the result that they were returned home.
Diphtheria.—One hundred and eighty.eight cases were notified during the year, 183 of which
were removed to hospital. The cases notified in the three previous years were 346, 403 and 223.
The number of notifications received during the year was smaller than in any other year since
the termination of the War
The following table shows the number of cases notified in each four.weekly period during 1924:-
| District. | Period No. 1. | Period No. 2. | Period No. 3. | Period No. 4. | Period No. 5. | Period No. 6. | Period No. 7. | Period No. 8. | Period No. 9. | Period No. 10. | Period No. 11 | Period No 12. | Period No. 13 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 779 | 742 | 695 | 655 | 741 | 684 | 721 | 606 | 890 | 1163 | 1027 | 1231 | |
| The Borough | 24 | 27 | 23 | 27 | 14 | 11 | 21 | 12 | 6 | 10 | 20 | 16 | 15 |
| North Kensington | 16 | 22 | 16 | 20 | 8 | 7 | 16 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| South Kensington | 8 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
| Wards. | |||||||||||||
| St. Charles | 2 | 5 | 4 | — | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Golborne | 5 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 1 | — | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Norland | 4 | 1 | 8 | — | 3 | 6 | 1 | ] | — | 5 | 4 | 2 | |
| Pembridge | 2 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 3 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 3 |
| Holland | 6 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1 | — | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Earl's Court | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | |
| Queen's Gate | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Redcliffe | — | 1 | 3 | — | 4 | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| Brompton | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
Cases of mistaken diagnosis are not excluded from the above Table