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
Paddington 1903
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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FEVER. 23
It is always difficult to get any satisfactory evidence of the vehicle of infection in sporadic
cases of this disease, but the inquiries made elicited the following information—
Source of Infection, probably oysters 4 cases.
„ ,, cockles 6 „
„ ,, mussels 2 ,,
„ „ winkles 1 case
„ possibly watercress 1 ,,
In 2 cases there was a history of ice-cream being eaten during the incubation period;
4 patients habitually had meals away from home; and one other had been on "drain" work
just before onset of illness.
Of the 40 cases reported 33 (including 6 "errors") were removed to hospital, equal to
72 per cent, of the notified cases, as compared with 65 and P>3 per cent, in 1902 and 1901.
(Sec Table 19).
The 7 deaths of persons reported as ill with this disease, included one fatal "error."
The fatality (taking all notified cases) was at the rate of 17 per cent., compared with 15.4
per cent, in 1902. Among patients treated at home the fatality was equal to 55 per cent.,
but in two cases the diagnosis of the disease was not made until death supervened, the
patients being ill but a very few days in both cases. Among the patients removed to hospital
the fatality (after correction for "errors") was 7.4 per cent, slightly higher than in 1902
(6. per cent, fatality) but much lower than in 1901 (fatalitv 17.6 per cent). (See Table 19).
TABLE 19. Enteric Fever. 1903.
| District. | Cases Notified* | To Hospital. | Per cent, of cases Notified to Hospital | Deaths. | Fatalities Der cent, cases treated | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At Home. | In Hospital | At Home. | In Hospital. | |||||
| Wards— | ||||||||
| Queen's Park | 8(3) | 4(1) | 50 | 2 | — | 100 | — | |
| Harrow Road | 3 | 2 | 67 | 1 | — | 100 | — | |
| Maida Vale | 6 | 3 | 50 | — | — | — | — | |
| Westbourne | 8(1) | 8(1) | 100 | — | — | — | ||
| Church | 15 (3) | 14 (2) | 93 | 1(1) | 1 | — | 8.7 | |
| Lancaster Gate (West) | 3(1) | 1 (1) | 33 | 1 | 1 (1) | — | — | |
| „ „ (East) | 1 (1) | 1(1) | 100 | — | — | — | — | |
| Hyde Park | 2(1) | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Borough | .1903 | 46 (10) | 33 (6) | 17.7 | 5 | 2(1) | 55.5 | 7.4 |
| 1902 | 84 (10) | 54 (6) | 65.0 | 5 | 8 | 19.2 | 6.2 | |
| 1901 | 92 (?) | 58 (?) | 63.0 | 5 | 10 | 14.7 | 17.6 | |
* See foot-note to Table 17.
The 6 deaths certified as due to enteric fever were a trifle more than one-third the
decennial average (17) and compare favourablv with the quinquennial averages (19 for 1893-97
and 15 for 1898-1902). Three (3) of the deceased persons were residents of St. Mary's
Sub-District, 2 of North-West Paddington, and 1 of St. John's Sub-District. The mortality