View report page

20
Errors in Diagnosis.
7 of the patients were returned from the Hospitals of the Metropolitan
Asylums Board as not suffering from diphtheria, or 8.0 per cent. of the cases
notified.
Secondary Cases.
Excluding the above 7 cases, and the 8 nurses at the Children's Hospital, of
the remaining 73 cases, 58 occurred in houses in which there was no secondary
case. In one house 3 cases occurred and in 6 houses 2 cases each.
Return Cases.
There was no "return" case during the year.
Diphtheria Anti-toxin.
Diphtheria Anti-toxin was supplied free of charge in 6 cases.
ENTERIC FEVER.
Excluding duplicates there were 12 notifications in comparison with 10 in
the preceding year. 3 belonged to St. Giles and Bloomsbury District and 9 to
the Holborn District. All but one were removed to Hospital. These notifications
corresponded to a rate of 0.25 per 1,000 in comparison with 0.15 for London.
Errors in Diagnosis.
2 cases were returned from the Hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board
not suffering from enteric fever or 167 per cent. of the eases notified. In 1 of
these cases the Widal reaction was positive in the proportion of 1 in 80 just
before the patient went to hospital.
Of the remaining 10 cases 6 were certainly or probably not contracted in the
Borough. 2 were nurses who had been previously nursing enteric fever patients.
1 was the occupier of a fried fish shop and probably contracted the disease in
handling and cleansing infected fish. In the remaining case, watercress was the
probable source of infection.
CEREBRO SPINAL FEVER.
(Epidemic Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis).
1 case was notified during the year. The patient was a child living in the
Italian Colony, and was removed to a hospital of the Metropolitan Asylums
Board, but was returned as suffering from tubercular meningitis and not cerebro
spinal fever.