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 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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15
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.
Erysipelas. Glanders.
Scarlet Fever. Anthrax.
Typhoid or Enteric Fever. Hydrophobia.
Acute Poliomyelitis. Ophthalmia Neonatorum.
SMALL POX
No case of small pox occurred in Kensington during the year; 3 cases in all were notified in
the Metropolis, and of this number one each occurred in the Cities of London and Westminster
and the Port of London.
DIPHTHERIA.
During the year 190 cases of diphtheria were notified and of these 13 proved fatal.
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 31 | 16 | 0 | |||
| February 28 | |||||
| March 28 | 11 | 0 | |||
| April 25 | 1 | ||||
| May 23 | 1 | ||||
| June 20 | 11 | ||||
| July 18 | |||||
| August 15 | 14 | 1 | |||
| September 12 | 2 | ||||
| October 10 | 14 | 1 | |||
| November 7 | 1 | ||||
| December 5 | |||||
| January 2, 1915 | |||||
| 10 | |||||
Anti-toxin was administered at the Council's expense to three diphtheria patients. The Council
no longer pay for the preventive treatment of healthy contacts with anti-toxin, an alteration in
procedure which appears to be fully justified by the rarity of multiple cases in infected households.
Bacteriological reports on 176 cases of suspected diphtheria were furnished free of charge
to medical practitioners, the diphtheria bacillus being found in 27 of the specimens examined.
This work is carried out at the Lister Institute and paid for by the Borough Council. In 23 houses
where diphtheria occurred defects in the drainage system were reported and remedied at the
instance of the sanitary inspector for the district.