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54
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
In four of the cases the disease was probably contracted by
eating shell-fish, in three it was contracted outside the Borough, in
one the infection was contracted from a previous case, and in four
of the cases it was ascertained that ice cream had been partaken
by the patient prior to the onset of the disease, while in 20 no
history of infection could be ascertained.
Of the four cases which were probably contracted by eating
shell-fish, two were from oysters, and two from winkles partaken
at various and untraceable places.
Of the 10 cases which were not Enteric Fever two were fatal,,
both from Tubercular Meningitis.
The notification rate from this disease was again very low,
while the death-rate was only .003 above the lowest rate recorded
for this Borough.
Cases of Mistaken Diagnosis.
In 136 cases (54 of Scarlet Fever, 51 of Diphtheria, 10 of
Enteric Fever, 18 of Cerebro-Spinal Fever, one of Typhus Fever,
one of Polio-Myelitis, and one of Puerperal Fever), information
was received from the Metropolitan Asylums Board's and other
hospitals, that the patients were not suffering from the disease
notified or any other notifiable disease, compared with 112 in 1914,
113 in 1913, and 88 in 1912.
Cerebro-spinal Meningitis.
During the year 53 cases of this disease were notified, 30 of
males and 23 of females. Two of the cases were notified in January,
two in February, 11 in March, 13 in April, 11 in May, four in June,
four in July, two in August, two in September, and one each in
October and November. The greater number of cases thus occurred
in March, April and May, and this was also the case over the whole
country.