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52
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
ENTERIC FEVER.
105 cases of Enteric Fever were notified during the year, 24
from Clapham, 10 from Putney, 21 from Streatham, six from
Tooting, and 44 from Wandsworth. 66 of the cases were removed
to hospital where five died and 39 were treated at home
with 14 deaths. The total number of deaths was 19, compared
with 30 in 1902, and 15 in 1901.
The proportion of cases notified per 1,000 population was
.41 compared with .57 in 1902, and 50 for the whole of London.
The case mortality was 18 per cent. for the Borough, and 16.9
per cent. for the whole of London.
The corrected death-rate from fever was .07 per 1,000, compared
with .12 in 1902, .o6 in 1901, and .12 in 1900. The deathrate
from fever for the whole of London was .o8 per 1,000.
The number of cases notified in each sub-district, as also
the number of deaths is given in the Tables.
The death-rate for the different sub-districts was as follows:—
Clapham .09, Putney .03, Streatham .03, Tooting .18 and Wandsworth
.o8 per 1,ooo.
Of the 66 cases removed to hospital 18 were reported, on
further examination, not to be suffering from the disease, leaving
48 actual cases with five deaths, while of the 39 cases kept at home
no information was received as to correctness of diagnosis, but
the proportion of deaths was much higher.
Special inquiry has been made as to the causation of all the
cases notified, and it was ascertained that out of the 87 actual
cases 12 were, in all probability caused by eating infected oysters,
seven by mussels, two by cockles, one by winkles, while in eight
cases the patients were in the habit of eating watercress. In one
case the patient had ice-cream a fortnight before the onset of the
disease. In another case the patient contracted the disease at
Cape Town, and in two cases the disease was contracted at seaside
resorts, while in 53 no definite history of infection could be
ascertained.
The following particulars with reference to cases due to
eating infected oysters are not so complete as they might have