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
Finsbury 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finsbury Borough]
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151
Scarlet Fever.
Last year 137 cases were notified as suffering from scarlet
fever; of these, four were not Finsbury cases, and the notifications
were transferred to the boroughs of residence. The number of
cases wrongly diagnosed was 19, leaving 114 true cases, of which
all were treated in isolation hospitals. There were no deaths.
Those cases wrongly diagnosed were found to be suffering from:—
| Dermatitis | 1 Measles | 8 |
| Erythema | 1 Tonsilitis | 5 |
| Faucitis | 1 Urticaria | 1 |
Two cases were described as "not scarlet fever."
The particulars of cases for the last 10 years are subjoined:—
| Year. | No. of Cases. | No. of Deaths. | Case Mortality. No. of Deaths per 100 Cases. | No. of Cases per 10,000 of Population. | No. of Deaths per 10,000 of Population. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1927 | 229 | 2 | .86 | 31.7 | .28 |
| 1928 | 220 | 1 | .46 | 30.7 | .14 |
| 1929 | 272 | 1 | .37 | 38.3 | .14 |
| 1930 | 298 | 1 | .36 | 42.3 | .14 |
| 1931 | 153 | - | — | 21.8 | — |
| 1932 | 267 | 2 | .75 | 38.7 | .29 |
| 1933 | 411 | 1 | .24 | 61.6 | .15 |
| 1934 | 369 | 2 | .54 | 56.8 | .31 |
| 1935 | 189 | 1 | .53 | 29.6 | .16 |
| 1936 | 135 | 1 | .74 | 22.2 | .16 |
| 1937 | 114 | — | — | 19.4 | — |
Seven patients developed scarlet fever whilst they were
detained in hospital for other causes. There was one "return"
case. Scarlet fever to-day is an exceedingly mild disease and
causes very few deaths. Measles is far more fatal. When measles
is epidemic, and there is a great shortage of hospital beds, cases
of measles should be removed to hospital, and scarlet fever may
well be treated at home.