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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
City of Westminster 1902
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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34
B. Infectious Diseases.
(1) Notifiable Diseases.
During the 53 weeks of 1902, 1,275 notifications of infectious
disease were received. The details respecting them are set out in the
Local Government Board's Return (Table XIV.), which also shows the
number treated in hospital as well as the number of deaths.
The number of cases of each disease notified in London since 1890
are shown in Table XIII., together with cases notified during the same
period in the different divisions which, with some modifications, now
form the City, as compared with 1,059 in the previous year. These
figures are exclusive of chicken-pox, of which there were 741 cases in
1902, but which was not compulsorily notifiable in 1901, and exclusive
of duplicate notifications.
Table XII.—
| 1901. | January. | February. | March. | April. | May. | June. | July | August. | September. | October. | November. | December. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small-pox | - | - | - | - | - | - | l | 3 | 5 | 37 | 38 | 18 | 102 |
| Scarlet fever | 23 | 14 | 23 | 26 | 35 | 41 | 89 | 32 | 43 | 82 | 41 | 26 | 475 |
| Diphtheria | 13 | 10 | 16 | 22 | 19 | 19 | 34 | 19 | 27 | 36 | 21 | 17 | 253 |
| Enteric fever | 10 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 9 | 11 | 4 | 8 | 13 | 15 | 5 | 104 |
| Continued fever | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 |
| Erysipelas | 14 | 3 | 9 | 8 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 9 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 7 | 117 |
| Puerperal fever | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | 6 |
| Total | 62 | 32 | 55 | 61 | 71 | 75 | 149 | 69 | 97 | 184 | 131 | 73 | 1,059 |
| 1902. | January. | February. | March. | April. | May. | June. | July. | August. | September. | October. | November. | December. | Total. |
| Small-pox | 92 | 50 | 32 | 16 | 22 | 18 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 232 |
| Scarlet fever | 40 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 68 | 54 | 47 | 40 | 29 | 46 | 37 | 33 | 475 |
| Diphtheria | 27 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 25 | 20 | 39 | 25 | 9 | 27 | 32 | 28 | 285 |
| Enteric fever | 11 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 8 | 12 | 5 | 24 | 25 | 10 | 13 | 132 |
| Continued fever | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Erysipelas | 17 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 17 | 144 |
| Puerperal fever | 1 | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 6 |
| Chicken-pox | 18 | 77 | 98 | 76 | 91 | 107 | 109 | 48 | 10 | 19 | 38 | 50 | 741 |
| Total | 206 | 186 | 184 | 150 | 234 | 221 | 222 | 128 | 84 | 129 | 129 | 143 | 2,016 |
The notifications in respect of small-pox, enteric fever, and erysipelas,
were in higher proportion than in 1901; a comparison is made in
Table XIV. of the various years and of the ten-yearly average.