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Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
73
Of the 54 cases removed to hospital, nine or 16 6 per cent,
were found not to be suffering from Enteric Fever, compared with
19 04 per cent, in 1911.
The Chart (facing page 58), shows the number of cases notified
during each week of the year.
In 13 of the weeks during the year no cases were notified, one
case each in 19 of the weeks, two cases each in 13 of the weeks, four
cases each in six of the weeks, and one case in five of the weeks. The
maximum number of cases, viz.—five, was notified in the second
week of February.
Of the 71 cases notified 10 were not Enteric Fever, one occurred
in H.M. Prison, and one in the Middlesex County Asylum, leaving
59 cases in which special enquiries were made as to the probable
cause of the disease.
In six of the cases the disease was probably contracted by
eating shell-fish, in six it was contracted outside the Borough (four
of these being also included in those infected by previous cases), in
14 the infection was contracted from previous cases, in seven probably
from watercress, while in 30 no history of infection could
be ascertained.
With regard to the six cases caused by shell-fish, five were
from oysters, and one from winkles.
In the cases contracted outside the Borough, six in number,
it was impossible to ascertain the exact source of infection, but in
four of the cases it was probably from another case in the same family
which had been removed from another district in London to the
East London Hospital about the first of April, 10 days before the
symptoms appeared in the cases notified in this Borough.
Of the total number of cases infected in all probability by
eating shell-fish, one died, of the 14 infected by previous cases six
died, while in the case of one death no definite history of infection
could be ascertained.