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56
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
Among those cases where the diagnosis was bacteriologically
confirmed, viz.—16, eight died and eight recovered, while of the
four where a negative result was obtained, all died. Of the n cases
not bacteriologically examined, eight died and three recovered.
20 of the 31 cases were removed to Hospital, and 11 of these
recovered and nine died, while of the 11 kept at home only one
recovered.
In nine of the 10 deaths which occurred at home, the death
was sudden, and in these no notification was received until after
death.
Although the number of cases reported is small, yet the results
show that in fulminating cases of this disease, nothing or little can
be done, while if the disease is of a milder type, and the case is
removed to hospital, the mortality should be about 30 per cent.
In only one household affected was there a second case, and
this leads one to believe that direct infection from case to case does
not readily occur. Neither school infection nor insanitary conditions,
with the exception of overcrowding, seemed to play any part
in the spread of the disease. The outbreak of the disease was
general over the whole of England, and was more prevalent in
town than in country districts.
The general conclusion arrived at by the Official Advisory
Committee of the Medical Research Committee was that the
epidemic was not one of Cerebro-spinal fever as such, but was an
epidemic of the meningococcus in the throats of the population at
large, and that it prevailed in winter and spring because at these
seasons people are in closer contact with each other indoors.
In this Borough minute and searching inquiry was made into
every reported case and special instructions were given to the
Sanitary Inspectors to inquire carefully as to the existence of any