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

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London County Council 1907

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

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56
meningitis for a further period of eighteen months, and in their communication to medical practitioners,
informing them of the Order, the Council stated that on the advice of a committee appointed by the
President of the Royal College of Physicians, they had decided that for notification purposes the
disease known at present as posterior basal meningitis is included in the term ccrebro-spinal fever,"
but that the term was not to be interpreted to include cases of meningitis due to tuberculosis, syphilis,
middle-ear disease or iniurv.

During the year, from the time of the Order coming into force until the end of the year, the number of cases notified and deaths registered were as follows :—

No. ofNo. ofNo. of
cases.Deaths.cases.Deaths.cases.Deaths.
March 9th11June 15th4-Sept. 21st4-
,, 16th51„ 22nd4-„ 28th11
„ 23rd4-„ 29 th2-Oct. 5 th3-
„ 30 th52J uly 6 th1-„ 12th2-
April 6th5-„ 13th3-„ 19th1-
„ 13th41„ 20 th11„ 26th2-
„ 20 th3-„ 27th72Nov. 2nd11
„ 27 th4-Aug. 3rd5-„ 9th1-
May 4th41„ 10th41„ 16th-
„ 11th62„ 17th33„ 23rd51
„ 18th72„ 24th21„ 30th1-
„ 25th41„ 31st4-Dec. 7th1-
June 1st11Sept. 7th61„ 14th1-
„ 8th7-„ 14th1-„ 21st2-
„ 28th3

During the year 1907 twenty-five deaths were attributed to this disease, or about four times
the average number of deaths in the last few years. It is probable that this increase in the number
of deaths due to this disease was an indirect effect of requiring cases of cerebro-spinal meningitis
to be notified.
It is interesting to note that in the same year in Glasgow, which has a population equal to about
one-sixth that of London, there were notified 998 cases of cerebro-spinal fever, while 847 deaths were
attributed to this cause, giving a fatality of nearly 85 per cent. After deducting from the 25 deaths
in London one which occurred in the period before notification was required, there were 135 cases
and 24 deaths, and the London fatality was thus less than 18 per cent.
Dr. Wanklyn has, as far as was found practicable, studied the London cases, and the results of
this observations during the year will be found in Appendix I. Among the 135 cases notified were
included many which further observation showed were not cases of cerebro-spinal meningitis, and
among those cases which were fatal the death was often attributed to another cause.
Anthrax*
But one death from anthrax was registered during the year, that of a waterside labourer in
Bermondsey, who had been handling dry hides. His death occurred in March and during the same
month another man employed in Bermondsey, in connection with foreign hides, was attacked, but
recovered. In May a man living in Poplar was attacked. He stated that he had not been working
in connection with skins or hides for some months. In June a labourer in Bermondsey, in contact
with foreign leather, was attacked, and in December a warehouseman in Bermondsey, associated
with foreign hides, was attacked. A further case, that of a stevedore employed in the Royal Albert
Docks, was removed to the Poplar Hospital. Two cases of anthrax recorded by the medical officer of
health of Finsbury were notified to him. He states that the first was a man aged 20 on August 7th.
This man was employed in carrying hair after boiling or dyeing by a firm in Bunhill-row. The second
was a girl aged 15½ years, a dressmaker's apprentice. Her neck was accidentally scratched by her
uncle's finger-nail on September 10th, while they were playing together. Her uncle worked for the
above-named firm in Bunhill-row, but neither he nor his family had suffered from anthrax.
Glanders.
Four deaths due to glanders are known to have occurred in London during the year.
The first was that of an omnibus driver which occurred in the Seamen's Hospital, Greenwich.
The shed in which he worked was examined by a veterinary inspector, but no case of glanders was
discovered.
The second death was that of a cab driver, which occurred in the Southwark Infirmary in the
beginning of April. A visibly affected glandered horse was detected in the stud with which this man
was associated.
The third death was that of a window cleaner, in the Southwark Infirmary, on the 13th August.
He had never been associated with horses, but his landlord owned five horses which, however, were
examined by a veterinary inspector and reported to be healthy.
The fourth death was that of a greengrocer, which occurred in the Bolingbroke Hospital, Wands.