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 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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| Notifiable Disease. | Number of cases notified | Total cases notified in each ward. | Cases admitted to hospital. | Total deaths. | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At all ages | At ages.—Years. | St. Charles. | Golborne. | Norland. | Pem bridge. | Holland. | Earl's Court. | Queen's Gate. | Redcliffe. | Brompton. | ||||||||||||||
| Under 1. | 1 to 2. | 2 to 3. | 3 to 4. | 1 4 to 5. | |5 to 10. | 10 to 15. | 15 to 20. | 20 to 35. | 35 to 45. | 45 to 65. | 65 and over. | |||||||||||||
| Smallpox | - | — | — | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | — | — |
| Scarlet fever | 233 | — | 7 | 19 | 23 | 31 | 67 | 29 | 14 | 35 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 77 | 38 | 30 | 29 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 228 | 2 |
| Diphtheria (including membranous croup) | 193 | 6 | 16 | 21 | 21 | 24 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 17 | 3 | 3 | — | 68 | 45 | 30 | 26 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 190 | 4 |
| Enteric fever | 14 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | — | 2 | — | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 12 | 2 |
| Puerperal fever | 11 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8 | 3 | — | — | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | 1 | — | — | 11 | 2 |
| Puerperal pyrexia | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 4 | 26 | 4 | 1 | — | 8 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | 6 | — | 33 | — |
| Primary pneumonia | 140 | 16 | 6 | 16 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 9 | 21 | 11 | 20 | 69 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 80 | 47 |
| Influenzal pneumonia | 76 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 7 | 17 | 6 | 21 | 15 | 12 | 31 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 39 | 36 | |
| Dysentery | 64 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 8 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1 | — | — | 31 | 10 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 2 | — | 2 | 1 | 57 | 1 |
| Erysipelas | 72 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | 5 | 4 | 12 | 13 | 22 | 11 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 46 | 3 |
| Encephalitis lethargica | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Cerebro-spinal meningitis | 3 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | 3 |
| Polio-myelitis and polio-encephalitis | 8 | — | 2 | 1 | 3 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | 2 | — | 6 | 1 |
| Pulmonary tuberculosis | 202 | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 3 | 21 | 100 | 19 | 44 | 8 | 48 | 27 | 26 | 22 | 19 | 19 | 9 | 27 | 5 | 190 | 114 |
| Other forms of tuberculosis | 51 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 2 | — | 3 | — | 50 | 16 |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 8 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 5 | — |
| Malaria | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 3 | — |
| *Enteritis (diarrhoea) | 84 | 50 | 24 | 7 | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | - | 21 | 32 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 32 | 47 |
| † Acute rheumatism | 52 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 24 | 24 | 3 | — | — | — | — | 21 | 18 | 7 | 3 | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | — |
| Totals | 1,249 | 92 | 66 | 78 | 70 | 76 | 193 | 102 | 82 | 254 | 66 | 122 | 48 | 346 | 307 | 175 | 111 | 87 | 63 | 41 | 89 | 30 | 999 | 279 |
Smallpox.—During 1937 no case of smallpox occurred in London, and nobody who had been
recently in contact with this disease came to live in Kensington.
Scarlet Fever.—The number of cases notified was 251, but after observation in hospital 18
were found not to be suffering from scarlet fever. It will be seen from the first table on the previous
page that there has been a decline in the incidence of this disease since 1933, and the number of
notifications received during 1937 is only 38 per cent. of those received during 1933. The character
of the disease was generally mild, and the mortality rate was 0.9. Of the total number of
cases notified, 246 were removed to hospital.
Three of the notified cases were patients in the same house as persons who had within the
previous 28 days returned from hospital after having been treated for scarlet fever. In each of these
three cases a careful investigation was made with a view to ascertaining the source of infection,
and necessary steps were taken to prevent any further spread.
Diphtheria.—-Two hundred and twenty cases of diphtheria were notified. Two hundred
and seventeen patients were removed to hospital, but 27 of these were subsequently found not to
be suffering from diphtheria and were returned home after the acute illness had subsided.
There were 14 instances where more than one case occurred in the same house.
The number of deaths from diphtheria was four, which represents a case mortality of 2.0.
In the three preceding years the deaths were 29, 19 and 11, the respective case mortality rates
being 4, 6 and 7.7.