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 1904
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
This page requires JavaScript
24
fever.
"FEVER." (Including Typhus, Enteric, Relapsing and Continued Fevers).
| Borough. | London. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904. | *1903. | 1904. | 1903. | |
| Cases notified | 48 | 47 | 1,936 | 2,408 |
| Deaths | 10 | 8 | 292 | 376 |
| Morbidity | 0.32 | 0.31 | 0.41 | 0.50 |
| Fatality | 20.8 | 17.0 | 15.0 | 15.6 |
| Mortality | 0.07 | 0.05 | 0.06 | 0.07 |
The 47 cases of "fever" reported in 1003 comprised 43 of enteric, 3 of continued* and
1 of typhus fever†—which last may be entirely neglected as the case was erroneously diagnosed.
The 46 cases of enteric and continued fevers were the lowest number on record. Last year
48 cases of enteric fever were reported, showing an increase of two cases—approximately
5 per cent. In the Metropolis the cases decreased from 2,408 in 1903 to 1,936 last year, a fall
of nearly 20 per cent. Last year's total for the Metropolis is the smallest on record.
Both in the Borough and the Metropolis last year's records were markedly below the
corrected averages. The cases recorded in St. John Sub-District (12) showed the smallest
reduction below the average (14). See below.
"Fever": Notifications.
| Averages. Corrected and adjusted. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1904. | Five years. 1894—98. | Five years. 1899—1903. | Ten years. 1894—1903 | |
| London | 1,936 | 3,527 | 3,676 | 3,607 |
| Borough | 48 | 78 | 81 | 80 |
| St. Mary St. John | 35 12 | 54 16 | 60 11 | 57 14 |
| North-West Paddington | 1 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
In St. John Sub-District only were the quarterly records up to the decennial (uncorrected)
averages. North-West Paddington was particularly free from the disease.
Quarters 1 2 3 4
Borough 7 (16) 11 (11) 12 (20) 18 (29)
St. Mary 4 (11) 10 (8) 10 (14) 11 (20)
St. John 3 (3) 1 (2) 2 (3) 6 (6)
North-West Paddington — (2) — (1) — (3) 1 (3)
Decennial averages in parentheses.
Distributing the cases according to Wards (Table 10), more than half the cases (25 out
of 48) were located in Westbourne and Church Wards. Five cases occurred in Hyde Park
Ward, as against one in 1903. Multiple infection of households and imported cases accounted
for this special prevalence. The rates in the Adjacent Districts were all lower than the local.
(Table 9).
Multiple cases occurred in 5 houses, viz.:—
| 1904. | 1903. | |
|---|---|---|
| Houses with 2 cases each | 4 | |
| „ 3 „ | 1 | 1 |
| „ 4 „ | 1 | — |
| „ 5 „ | 1 | — |
* Almost all cases of "continued" fever are cases of enteric fever with some of the usual symptoms in
abeyance. Hence the two forms of notifications are dealt with as relating to one disease.
† Some half dozen cases of typhus fever have been reported in the Borough since notification was instituted,
hut in no instance has the diagnosis been correct.