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79
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
Return Cases of Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria.
48 cases of Scarlet Fever and eight of Diphtheria occurred
after the return of a case from one of the Metropolitan Asylums
Board's Hospitals compared with 19 of Scarlet Fever and five
of Diphtheria in 1901.
The subject of return cases is at present being exhaustively
dealt with by the Metropolitan Asylums Board, but the report of
the Investigator specially appointed has not yet been published.
Of the cases of Scarlet Fever, nine occurred in the parish of
Clapham, four in Putney, 14 in Streatham, seven in Tooting,
and 14 in Wandsworth.
Of the cases of Diphtheria, one occurred in Putney, three in
Streatham, one in Tooting, and three in Wandsworth
Two cases of Scarlet Fever occurred in one house in the
parishes of Clapham and Putney, three cases in one house in
Tooting, and two cases in two houses in Wandsworth.
All the return cases of Diphtheria were single ones.
There has been no definite outbreak traceable to this cause,
although in the aggregate the number of these cases shows a
considerable increase compared with previous years.
As to the cause of return cases, in only a small percentage
could it be said that the patients had anything wrong when a
visit was made on the occasion of the second case. In the case of
Scarlet Fever a few had discharge from nose or ears, and this
seemed on inquiry to have been observed not immediately, but
some days after discharge from hospital.
In one or two cases complaint was made that the patients
when returned from hospital were still desquamating, but the
present opinion with regard to desquamation in Scarlet Fever is
that in the later stages at all events this is not infectious. It is
only fair to state, however, that this opinion is not held by all
Medical Officers of Health.