London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
St Pancras 1922
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
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53
The number of deaths from diphtheria certified during the year was 44, equal to a deathrate
of 0-21 per 1,000 population and a case mortality of 7.2 per cent, of cases notified.
In the following Table are set out the corresponding figures for the past 10 years corrected for errors in diagnosis :—
| Year. | No. of Notifications. | Notification rate per 1,000 Population. | No. of Deaths. | Death Rate per 1,000 Population. | Case Mortality per cent. | Percentage of Cases removed to Hospital. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Of the notified cases of diphtheria, 713 (or 98.3 per cent.) were removed to hospital,
as follows:—
To Metropolitan Asylums Board Hospitals 709
To other Hospitals 4
713
(Other statistical facts will be found, on pages 33 to 35.)
Return cases.—(Definition : A case of diphtheria occurring within 28 days of the return
from hospital to the same house of a previous case of diphtheria.)
Four such cases occurred in 1922, in February, May, August and November, respectively.
In three instances the return case was in the family to which the (?) infecting case returned, and
in one instance in a different family in the same house. The intervals between the return of the
first case and the onset of the return case were 7, 17, 18 and 28 days. In two instances the
(?) infecting case showed nasal discharge (" positive " swab from the nose), and nasal discharge
and otorrhcea (" positive " swab from the nose, " negative " from the throat). The other two
(?) infecting cases showed no clinical signs of infectiousness.
Diphtheria after scarlet fever.—In 18 houses cases of diphtheria occurred within 28 days
of the return from hospital to the same house of a previous case of scarlet fever. In 16 of these
there was only 1 case of diphtheria, but in one instance there were 2 cases of diphtheria and
in one instance 4 cases, the total number of such cases of diphtheria being 22. Only the 18 first
cases of diphtheria are considered in the following analysis.
Their distribution according to the month of onset of the diphtheria cases was as follows :—
December, 1921, one ; January, 1922, 2 ; February, 7 ; March, 3 ; April, 2 ; May, one ; October,
one; December, one.
In 12 instances the scarlatinal convalescent and the diphtheria case were in the same
family, and in 6 instances in different families in the sail)" house.
In 17 houses only one case of scarlet fever had returned from hospital within the 28 days,
and in one house 2 cases had returned within that period, the number of possible infecting cases