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 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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Thirty patients notified as suffering from scarlet fever were found, after admission to
hospital, not to be suffering from any infectious illness at all, with the result that they were returned
home.
Throughout the year, scarlet fever was mild in type, as is reflected in the fact that there was
only one fatal case. The deaths in the preceding years were two, one and three.
There were 23 instances where more than one case occurred in the same house.
Six of the 385 cases of scarlet fever were patients in the same houses as persons who had within
the previous 28 days returned from hospital after having been treated for this disease. Cases
of this kind are called " return " cases, and a very careful investigation was made in each of the
six, with a view to ascertaining the source of infection. The following particulars are of interest
in regard to these six "return" cases.
A girl, aged 11 years, was removed to a fever hospital suffering from scarlet fever. Nine days
after her discharge another girl, aged nine years, residing in the same house, but not of the same family,
fell ill with scarlet fever. The girl aged 11 years was re-examined but showed no signs of the
disease.
A girl, aged five years, contracted scarlet fever and was removed to a fever hospital. Twenty
days after her discharge, her sister, aged 1¼ years, contracted the disease. On examination the primary
patient appeared perfectly well. The sister was removed to hospital and no further cases occurred.
A boy, aged five years, fell ill with scarlet fever and was removed to a fever hospital. He was
discharged and seven days afterwards four other children in the same family contracted scarlet fever
and were removed to hospital. The discharged patient appeared to have completely recovered and no
further cases occurred.
Preventive work in respect of scarlet fever has advanced rapidly in recent years, and the
Dick test and immunisation against this disease have received considerable support in medical
circles. The Kensington borough council have always been anxious to adopt measures of preventive
medicine if, in their opinion, results are likely to justify the expenditure involved. In March,
1931, the council agreed to provide free of charge the material for the Dick test to medical practitioners
attending the poorer residents of the borough.
Diphtheria.—Two hundred and fifty-six cases of diphtheria were notified during the year,
211 of which were removed to hospital.
The following table shows the number of cases notified in the various wards in each four-weekly period during 1931:—
| 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 | 847 | 820 | 671 | 600 | 611 | 586 | 671 | 544 | 564 | 577 | 715 | 696 | 607 |
| The Borough | 14 | 29 | 18 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 12 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
| North Kensington | 13 | 21 | 13 | 13 | 14 | 14 | 5 | 8 | 15 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 12 |
| South Kensington | 1 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| Wards. | |||||||||||||
| St. Charles | 3 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Golborne | 3 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Norland | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| Pem bridge | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | — | 3 | — | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Holland | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Earl's Court | — | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Queen's Gate | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | L | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Redcliffe | — | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Brompton | — | — | — | 1 | _ | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — |
Cases of mistaken diagnosis are excluded from the above table.
Thirty-four patients notified as suffering from diphtheria were found after admission to
hospital not to be suffering from any infectious disease at all, with the result that they were
returned home.
The number of Kensington deaths was seven, representing a case mortality of 3 per cent.
In the three preceding years the deaths were 15, 11 and 13.
During the year, 1,583 throat swabs were examined at the council's laboratory at St. Mary
Abbots Hospital, and of these 101 gave a positive result.
There were no "return" cases reported during the year, but there were 11 instances where
more than one case occurred in the same house.
During the year, 26 cases of diphtheria were reported from St. Mary Abbots Hospital, ten
from St. Charles Hospital, three from the Kensington Institution, two from the Baby Hospital,
No. 1, Ladbroke Square, and two from the Princess Louise Kensington Hospital for Children.