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
Stoke Newington 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Stoke Newington, The Metropolitan Borough]
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In this disease the spread of the infection (and by consequence
the mortality) is largely due to the unfortunate circumstance
that the early diagnosis of the disease from clinical symptoms is
frequently, difficult or impossible, and bacteriology alone can solve
the difficulty in many cases. The diagnosis outfits supplied by the
Council to the medical practitioners in Stoke Newington continue
to be much appreciated. Every practitioner has been kept
provided during the year with such an outfit, and has thus had
at his disposal the means of procuring a bacteriological diagnosis
of Diphtheria, Enteric Fever, and Consumption.
The following is a list of the applications received during 1912, together with the results of the
| Disease. | Results. | Total. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive. | Negative. | |||
| Phthisis | 31 | 71 | 102 | |
| Diphtheria | 43 | 85 | 128 | |
| Enteric | 3 | 1 | 4 | |
| Total | 77 | 157 | 234 | |
Since the Local Government Board has placed the matter on
a satisfactory basis, by issuing an Order authorising this provision
of antitoxin for both curative and prophylactic purposes, the
Borough Council has availed itself of this power in necessitous
cases: for the prompt administration of the remedy, before
patients are removed to hospital and pending report of the
bacteriological examination of swabs taken from the throats, often
goes far in the direction of preventing a fatal termination to the
disease.