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
Poplar 1915
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Poplar, Metropolitan Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
77
Among the 22 cases wrongly certified as scarlet fever there were
1 measles, 1 rubella and 1 empyema. Among the 8 cases wrongly
certified as diphtheria were 2 of tonsillitis, 1 case was scarlet fever and not
diphtheria and another was cerebro-spinal meningitis and not enteric
fever.
The numbers of cases wrongly notified and removed to Infectious Diseases Hospitals during the past 10 years have been as follows:—
| Poplar cases. | Percentage of mistakes to total admission. | Metropolitan cases. | Percentage of mistakes to total admission. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906 | 44 | 6.3 | 2,151 | 8.3 |
| 1907 | 102 | 7.2 | 3,109 | 9.7 |
| 1908 | 89 | 6.28 | 2,594 | 9.27 |
| 1909 | 54 | 6.28 | 2,322 | 10.2 |
| 1910 | 50 | 8.50 | 1,723 | 11.2 |
| 1911 | 57 | 9.62 | 2,237 | 10.5 |
| 1912 | 29 | 5.63 | 1,899 | 8.1 |
| 1913 | 31 | 3.02 | 2,501 | 9.01 |
| 1914 | 45 | 4.84 | 2,517 | 7.5 |
| 1915 | 32 | 4.35 | — | — |
The number admitted into the Metropolitan Asylums Board's
Hospitals during the year 1915 was 27,855.
Bacteriological Examinations.
Facilities are still afforded to practitioners to have swabbings from
throats of doubtful cases of diphtheria, and specimens of blood from
doubtful cases of typhoid fever and also sputum from suspected tuberculous
patients bacteriologicallv examined. (See pages 113, 111 and 20).
Positive results of bacteriological examinations are communicated
to the medical officers of the Metropolitan Asylums Board's Fever
Hospitals at the time when the patients are removed or by letter afterwards
if the result be not to hand at time of removal, or if the removal
has not been effected through the Public Health Department.
Infectious Diseases in Milkshops and Homeworkers' Premises.
One case of measles was connected with a milkshop in Poplar. Two
cases of scarlet fever, one each of diphtheria, measles, chicken-pox and