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Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
83
In 202 out of 597 examinations for the bacillus of Diphtheria
the result was positive, and in 11 out of 27 examinations of blood in
suspectcd cases of Enteric Fever, the Widal reaction was obtained.
The great increase in the examinations for Diphtheria was due
to the more general use of this means of diagnosis by the medical
men in the Borough, as well as to the more rigid supervision of
suspicious cases of sore throat reported from elementary schools.
There is no doubt that these examinations were the means of checking
outbreaks of Diphtheria which threatened several of the
elementary schools during the year.
Puerperal Fever.
24 cases of Puerperal Fever were notified, compared with 20
in 1910, 26 in 1909, 14 in 1908, 25 in 1907, and 25 in 1906.
Three cases occurred in Clapham, two in Putney, three in
Streatham, four in Tooting, and 12 in Wandsworth.
Eight of the cases (one in Clapham, two in Streatham, one in
Tooting, and four in Wandsworth), or 33.3 per cent. were fatal,
compared with 25 per cent. in 1910, 38.4 per cent. in 1909, 42 in
1908, 40 in 1907, and 44 in 1906.
15 of the cases were removed to the Union Infirmary, where
four died, and nine were treated at home with four deaths.
The death-rate was .025 per 1,000, compared with .016 in 1910,
and .034 in 1909.
The case-rate per 1,000 births was 3.5 compared with 2.8 in
1910 and 3.7 in 1909, and for the whole of London 2.7, compared
with 2.6.
In four of the cases registered midwives only were employed,
while six of the cases were miscarriages.