London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Paddington 1900
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
This page requires JavaScript
18 [Appendix IV.
The results of the inquiries in 1899 are compared with those of last year for the whole Parish in the following statement:—
| 1899. | 1900. | |
|---|---|---|
| Total cases | 382 | 302 |
| Imported cases, primary | 24 | 28 |
| ,, ,, secondary | — | 6 |
| Return cases, primary | 11 | 12 |
| ,, ,, secondary | 3 | 3 |
| Errors in diagnosis | 8 | 6 |
| Remaining cases, primary | 269 | 188 |
| „ „ secondary | 67 | 56 |
The "remaining cases, primary" constituted 70 per cent. of the cases in 1899 as compared
with 62 per cent. last year.
The frequency of multiple infections in a house varies to a certain extent with the prevalence of the disease in the district. The analyses for the past 3 years are set out below:—
| Houses with | 1898. | 1899. | 1900. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 case | 178 | 241 | 186 |
| 2 cases | 25 | 43 | 37 |
| 3 „ | 7 | 10 | 7 |
| 4 „ | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 5 „ | — | 1 | 1 |
| 6 „ | 1 | — | — |
| 8 „ | 1 | — | — |
Without entering into a long explanation of the house-incidence during the past year, it may
he stated that from 12 out of the 50 houses with more than 1 case, all the recorded cases were
reported on the same day; that 12 return cases* are included among the multiple infections; and
that in 3 cases home nursing appeared to be the explanation of the subsequent cases.
Of the houses with 4 cases—
(a) The second case occurred 1 month after the first, and was probably due to an
pendent source of infection; the third and fourth cases were "return" cases.
(b) All 4 cases were reported on the same day.
(c) The first case was removed to hospital; the second case occurred 2 days later and
was kept at home; the third and fourth cases occurred 6 days after the second.
(d) The first case was kept at home, and the subsequent cases occurred on the fourth,
fifth, and sixth day.
(e) All the cases were removed to hospital as reported, and all were apparently due to
independent infections.
In the 1 house with 5 cases—
The first case sickened on August 2nd, but was not reported until August 22nd, when the
second patient had already succumbed; the third and fourth patients sickened on August 30th, and
the fifth on September 3rd. Each case was removed to hospital as reported, but it was evident
that the infection was passed direct from child to child.
An outbreak in connection with a high-class girls' school requires to be specially dealt with.
F. C., who was out to see the C.I.V. come home on October 27th and 29th last, was taken ill
with a sore throat on November 1st. There was no history of any rash being seen. The girl was
"isolated" in an open dormitory (she was a boarder) from November 1st to 6th. From the 6th to
9th she was back in school and continued to mix with the boarders until the 11th. She was then set
apart for a day or so, allowed out again, and finally confined entirely to the sick-room, and properly
* A special note on return cases will be found at the end of this Report—see Appendix B.