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85
ENCEPHALITIS LETHARGICA.
No cases were notified during the year.
Six cases were brought to notice after death.
Sixteen old St. Pancras cases are under treatment at various Institutions, mainly at
Winehmore Hill. The majority are reported to be progressing very slowly.
PNEUMONIA.
This disease is a frequent complication of other diseases, such as Measles. When it
occurs in that manner it is not notifiable.
The notifiable forms of Pneumonia are Acute Primary and Acute Influenzal Pneumonia.
There were 211 notifications of the former and 111 of the latter during 1933 (as compared
with 178 and 68 respectively for 1932). There were 173 deaths from all forms of Pneumonia
during the year.
If requested by the medical attendant, a visiting nurse is supplied in necessitous cases
at the cost of the Borough Council. In 1933, 31 cases were nursed under this arrangement
and 815 nursing visits were paid.
MALARIA.
Three cases were notified. They were all old cases and the disease had been contracted
abroad.
DYSENTERY.
Only one case was notified during the year, and on investigation it was shown that this
patient had contracted the disease in India.
One of the fatal cases from the Food Poisoning Epidemic, which is reported below, was
recorded by the Coroner as having died from "Acute Dysentery."
FOOD POISONING.
Cases of Food Poisoning were made notifiable by Section 7 of the London County Council
(General Powers) Act, 1932, which came into force on July 12th of that year.
No exact definition of food poisoning was given in the Act and some difficulty may be
experienced in framing a satisfactory definition.
In a number of the patients notified it would appear from the information obtained that
the cases should really have been regarded as suffering from Acute Indigestion, etc., and not
from actual food poisoning.
One definite outbreak of food poisoning did, however, occur during the year affecting 13
persons, two of whom died.
The following report which was submitted to the Council gives particulars of the
outbreak and is reprinted here for reference.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
On Sunday afternoon, October 8th, 1933, six patients were admitted to Highgate Hospital
suspected to be suffering from food poisoning, and it was stated that food purchased at certain
premises in St. Pancras was thought to be responsible.
Another patient was shortly afterwards admitted to University College Hospital, and on Monday
notifications were received of six other cases,