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 1935
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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55
A table, showing the numbers of cases of infectious disease notified in the various age periods,
notified in the various wards, and admitted to hospital, and the deaths from these diseases during
the year, will be found in Appendix II on page 72 of this report.
Smallpox.—No case of smallpox occurred in London.
At various times during the year there were 23 persons in Kensington who had been in contact
with cases of smallpox in other parts of the country or on board ships. These contacts were kept
under daily observation until all possibility of the development of the disease had disappeared.
Scarlet Fever.—The number of cases notified was 331, of which 312 were removed to hospital.
Twenty-seven patients notified as suffering from scarlet fever were found, after admission to
hospital, not to be suffering from any infectious illness, with the result that they were returned
home.
The following table shows the number of cases notified in the various wards in each four-weekly period :—
| 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 | 1,081 | 964 | 897 | 873 | 762 | 975 | 641 | 709 | 627 | 821 | 1,064 | 1,010 | 857 |
| The Borough | 25 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 32 | 42 | 28 |
| North Kensington | 20 | 13 | 19 | 19 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 26 | 29 | 30 | 25 |
| South Kensington Wards. | 5 | 9 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 3 |
| St. Charles | 13 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 12 | 10 |
| Golborne | 2 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | 9 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Norland | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | — | 3 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Pembridge | 3 | 3 | 5 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 10 | 4 | 6 |
| Holland | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | — |
| Earl's Court | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 4 | — |
| Queen's Gate | 2 | o | — | 2 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | ||
| Redcliffe | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | — | 5 | — |
| Brompton | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Cases of mistaken diagnosis are excluded from the above table. | |||||||||||||
The number of cases was 247 fewer than in the previous year, and the disease remained mild in
type. There was one death, and in the three preceding years the numbers were three, one and three
respectively.
There were 24 instances where more than one case occurred in the same house.
Five of the 304 definite 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 five, with a view to ascertaining the source of infection.
As a preventive measure, the borough council have agreed to provide material for the Dick
test for medical practitioners attending poor residents and local voluntary hospitals, but during
the year no expenditure was incurred in respect of this service.
Diphtheria.—Three hundred and sixty-seven cases of diphtheria were notified, 364 of which
were removed to hospital.
Twenty-nine 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.
Ihe loilowmg table snows tne number ot cases notinea in tne various wards in each four-weekly period :—
| 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 | 1,149 | 1,005 | 829 | 761 | 669 | 541 | 505 | 544 | 474 | 706 | 776 | 813 | 639 |
| The Borough | 46 | 28 | 37 | 36 | 27 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 16 | 24 | 24 | 23 | 20 |
| North Kensington | 39 | 22 | 35 | 32 | 24 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 16 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 16 |
| South Kensington Wards. | 7 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| St. Charles | 17 | 10 | 12 | 16 | 10 | 12 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 9 |
| Golborne | 8 | 6 | 11 | 7 | 5 | — | 4 | 2 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
| Norland | 10 | 3 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Pembridge | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | — | 2 | 1 | — | 3 | 3 | — | |
| Holland | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| Earl's Court | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | |
| Queen's Gate | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| Redcliffe | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | |
| Brompton | 1 | 2 | |||||||||||
| Cases of mistaken diagnosis are excluded from the above table. | |||||||||||||