London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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St Pancras 1920

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]

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46
the Council for the nursing of case of pneumonia and influenza at the rate of 1s. per visit.
In 1920, 54 cases of influenza and pneumonia were dealt with at the Council's expense, 533
nursing visits being paid.

The following is an analysis of the cases notified and visited :—

Age and Sex.Acute Primary Pneumonia.Influenzal Pneumonia.
Males9667
Females4641
0—1181
1—5273
5—15265
15—252126
25—554364
55 and over79

Of the 142 cases of acute primary pneumonia, 60 were treated in their own homes and
82 in hospitals. Of the hospital cases, 35 were treated in the St. Pancras Poor Law Hospitals
and 47 in voluntary hospitals. The 82 cases were already in hospital when visited after notifiation,
with the exception of 3 which were sent to hospital after being visited. In regard to
the 60 cases which were treated at home, 25 were under the care of visiting nurses (in 17 of
the cases the nurse was sent in as a result of the sanitary inspector's visit).
With regard to the 108 cases of acute influenzal pneumonia, 57 were nursed at home
and 51 in hospitals. Of the hospital cases, 37 were treated in the St. Pancras Poor Law
Hospitals and 14 in voluntary hospitals. The 51 cases were already in hospital when visited,
with the exception of 9 who were sent to hospital after being visited. In regard to the 57
cases which were treated at home, 20 were under the care of visiting nurses (in 12 of these
cases the nurse was sent in as a result of the sanitary inspector's visit).
Most of the hospital cases were notified by the hospital authorities.
That the accommodation for home nursing was inadequate for many of the cases which
were not removed to hospital is shown by the fact that only 20 out of the 60 acute primary
pneumonia cases and 21 out of the 57 acute influenzal pneumonia cases were nursed in a sick
room devoted to their exclusive use. In the other cases the patient was nursed in a room used
as a family living room or as a bed room for other members of the family. In many of the
homes where the family succeeded in providing the patient with a separate sick room this was
only done at the expense of grave overcrowding of the rest of the family. Our experience in
this respect shows that there is a necessity for a greater provision of hospital beds for cases of
non-infectious acute illness.
After-care visits were made to 12 of the cases under two years of age (11 acute primary,
1 acute influenzal).
OTHER NOTIFIABLE INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Puerperal fever, ophthalmia neonatorum, and measles (as well as whooping cough) arc
dealt with on pages 24 to 27.
No cases of typhus, cholera, plague or human anthrax, glanders or hydrophobia, were
reported in St. Pancras in 1920.