London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Paddington 1903

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]

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SCARLKT FEVER. 21
Lower death-rates than that for the Borough (0*06) were recorded in Westminster
(0*05) and Hampstead (0-01), the other rates given in Table 15 being all above the local rate,
which is the lowest of all those included in Table 10.

TABLE 18. Scarlet Fever. 1903.

District.Cases Notified.*To Hospital.Per cent. Cases Notified to HospitalDeaths.Fatalities per cent, cases treated
At Home.In HospitalAt Home.In Hospital
Wards-
Queen's Park636095
Harrow Road97 (2)86 (2)89
Maida Vale57 (3)49 (3)8612.1
Westbourne73709645.7
Church92 (4)87 (4)9414 (1)20.03.6
Lancaster Gate, West141286
„ East6350
Hyde Park121192
Borough1903414 (9)378 (9)91.319(1)2.72.1
1902359 (4)29682.4171.72.3
1901503 (?)439 (?)87.2292.72.1

* See foot-note to Table 17.
The following three groups of cases are worthy of special mention.
Leith Mansions.—4 cases in 2 families. The L. family, in which 3 cases occurred, were the first occupants of
a new flat, taking possession on 12th Aug. On June 12th one of the children had been removed to hospital from
the previous home outside the Borough ill with scarlet fever. After 7 weeks' detention the child was discharged on
1st Aug. On Aug. 13th her brother (C. fet. 4) sickened. He was removed to the Western Fever Hospital on
Aug. 17th, and returned home on Oct. 20th. His brother (L. Eet. 12j sickened on Oct. 29th. and his sister F. ret. 18)
on Nov. 1:5th. Special and full inquiries were made, but no source of infection could be traced apart from the
patients home from hospital. The sanitary condition of the fiat was satisfactorv.
Burlington Mews West. -7 cases in 4 families, 3 families having 2 cases each. This group of cases occurred
between June 28th and Aug. 7th. On July 7th a case was reported at No. 22, and the certifving practitioner in a
covering letter directed attention to three children he had been attending for a week for "sore throats." They had
had no rash,,but he suspected that they were suffering from scarlet fever. The two families at Nos. 21 and 22 were
in close association. The children at No. 21 were seen by the Medical Officer of Health, on Julv 7th, but no child
presented sufficient symptoms to enable a diagnosis of scarlet fever to be made. The children were kept under
observation. Subsequently a boy and a girl, aged 10 and 2 respectively, were certified as having the disease, and
were removed to hospital on July 11th and 13th. The occurrence of three other cases in the Mews confirms the
suspicion that an elder boy at No. 21 had an anomalous attack of the same disease. He was ill when seen by the
Medical Officer of Health on the 7th.
Woodfield Road.—9 cases in one house. This house was the "Nursery" belonging to the Workhouse. It
was inhabited by 4 adults (staff) and 10 children, all under 3 years of age. The first case occurred on February 10th,
and was removed to hospital on the same day. The source of infection was not discovered, although the lists of
admissions were closely examined, and such visitors as could be identified traced to their homes.
The second child sickened on the 12th, but the case was not diagnosed until the 21st, on which day the patient
was removed to hospital. In the meantime other cases occurred on the 13th, 14th, 16th, 17th, and 20th. The outbreak
concluded with 2 cases on the 23rd. Every case except the second was removed to hospital within twentyfour
hours of the onset of the symptoms*