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 1932

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]

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65
APPENDIX I.
Fifth Annual Report on the Kensington Rheumatism Scheme.
(October 1st, 1931—September 30th, 1932)
by
James Fenton, M.D., D.P.H., and Janet K. Aitken, M.D., M.R.C.P.
PART I.
GENERAL.
by JAMES FENTON, M.D., D.P.H.
The fifth year of work at the rheumatism supervisory centre of the Royal Borough of Kensington was
completed on the 30th September, 1932.
The functions of this centre are to assist in the early diagnosis of rheumatism in children (the early
treatment of this disease being of paramount importance) and also to compile statistics with a view to determining
etiological factors and thereby assist in the prevention of rheumatism.
Under the Kensington (Acute Rheumatism) Regulations, 1930, acute rheumatism was made a notifiable
disease for a further period of three years from the 1st October, 1930. The regulations, like their predecessors
of 1927, define acute rheumatism as denoting the following conditions, occurring separately or together in a
child under the age of sixteen years:—
(a) rheumatic pains or arthritis, if accompanied by a rise of temperature ;
(b) rheumatic chorea ;
(c) rheumatic carditis.
Response to Notification.

Table: The detailed particulars are given below. It will be seen that the notification figures show a steady decline ; this is probably due to the notification in the first years of an accumulation of patients in whom the first symptoms had occurred before the year 1927.

The detailed particulars are given below. It will be seen that the notification figures show a steady decline ; this is probably due to the notification in the first years of an accumulation of patients in whom the first symptoms had occurred before the year 1927.

1927-28.1928-29.1929-30.1930-31.1931-32.
Source of notification.No. of notifications.No. of patients notified in the year who attended the Centre.No. of notifications.No. of patients notified in the year who attended the Centre.No. of notifications.No. of patients notified in the year who attended the Centre.No. of notifications.No. of patients notified in the year who attended the Centre.No. of notifications.No. of patients notified in the year who attended the Centre.
Rheumatism supervisory centre.323237371212991212
Private medical practitioners.53634033323628312112
School medical officers.28120121
Hospitals and institutions.462731177
Totals1599510570954866404124

Table: The percentage attendance of the notified cases at the supervisory centre remains very stationary, as the following table shows:—

The percentage attendance of the notified cases at the supervisory centre remains very stationary, as the following table shows:—

1928-2860%
1928-2966%
1929-3050%
1930-3160%
1931-3260%

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The compulsory notification of cases of juvenile rheumatism in the Royal Borough of Kensington has been
in force for five years, and the question now arises as to whether it should continue.
It will be seen that the number notified has declined each year. This is due partly to the fact that a proportion
of the patients notified in the earlier years of compulsory notification might or might not have been suffering
from notifiable rheumatism at the actual time of notification, but they have had juvenile rheumatism at some
previous date before compulsory notification was in force. This proportion is being gradually reduced. For