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 1905
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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22 FeveR.
"FEVER." (Including Typhus, Enteric and Continued Fevers).
| Borough. | London. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905. | 1904. | 1903. | 1905. | 1904. | 1903. | |
| Cases notified | 46 | 48 | 47 | 1,576 | 1,936 | 2,408 |
| Deaths | 6 | 10 | 8 | 237 | 292 | 376 |
| Morbidity1 | 0.31 | 0.32 | 0.31 | 0.33 | 0.41 | 0.50 |
| Fatality | 13.0 | 20.8 | 17.0 | 15.0 | 15.0 | 15.6 |
| Mortality | 0.04 | 0.07 | 0.05 | 0.04 | 0.06 | 0.07 |
* See notes under Smallpox.
The 46 cases of "fever" notified in the Borough were all cases of enteric (typhoid)
fever,* and is the smallest recorded since 1901. In the Metropolis 1,576 cases of "fever"
were recorded, including 1,552 of enteric (351 fewer than in 1904), 14 of continued (half the
number for 1904), 9 of typhus (an excess of 6 over the number for 1904) and 1 of relapsing
fever. Confining the attention to enteric and continued fevers—practically the two terms
designate one disease, viz., enteric fever—the cases reported during the year in the Borough
were 29 below the decennial average (75)—equal-to a reduction by 38.7 per cent. Last
year's total for the Metropolis (1,566) was 1,907 below the decennial average (3,443)—equal
to a reduction by 54.6 per cent. A complete comparison of the averages, &c., is given
below:—
Enteric Fever.
(Including Continued Fever.)
Cases Notified. Averages, corrected and adjusted.
| 1905. | 1895- 99. | 1900—1904. | 1895—1904. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 1,566 | 3,740 | 3,139 | 3,447 |
| Paddington | 46 | 84 | 69 | 75 |
| St. Mary | 34 | 60 | 51 | 55 |
| St. John | 8 | 15 | 10 | 12 |
| North-West Paddington | 4 | 9 | 8 | 8 |
The greatest diminution occurred in the second quarter of the year, and the least in the fourth, as may be seen from below:-
| Quarters | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registration Sub-Districts | St. Mary | 6 (10) | 1 (8) | 10 (14) | 17 (20) |
| St. John | 1 (3) | 1 (2) | 2 (3) | 4 (5) | |
| North-West Paddington | 1 (2) | -(1) | 1 (3) | 2 (3) |
The figures in parentheses are the uncorrected decennial averages.
The only Wards in which the numbers of cases reported in 1905 exceeded those of 1904
were Queen's Park and Maida Vale. (See Table 10.) The figures and rates for the
Adjacent Districts will be found in Tables 7 and 8.
In one instance only did more than one case occur in any house. This case will be dealt
with specially later on.
By inquiries made after notification it was ascertained that 4 cases were diagnosed
erroneously, and two others possibly so. Of the remaining 40 cases, 22 (viz., 13 primary and
* But for an outbreak of 9 cases attributable to an imported case treated at home, last year's total would
have been much lower. In addition to the 46 cases reported within the Borough, a case was reported from
Scarborough, and one fatal case occurred in a Lunatic Asylum. The former patient may have been infected in
Paddington, the latter was certainly not.