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
London County Council 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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195
Report of the County Medical Officer—Education.
Dr. Shrubsall has made a somewhat further analysis of Mr. Eimslie's records to ascertain the subsequent history ot these cases, with the results shown in the following table:—
| Result at date on last note. | Admitted for observation as possible heart disease. No evidence found to date. | No evident heart lesion. | Heart lesions suspected but not demonstrably valvular in nature. | Definite heart disease. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| History of chorea. No recurrence after admission to physically defective school. | Recurrent attacks of chorea while attending physically defective school. | History of rheumatism. | History of rheumatism and chorea | History of recurrent chorea. | No history of rheumatism— nature of lesion not certain. | Adherent pericardium — no valvular lesion evident. | Congenital heart disease. | Mitral stenosis. | Double mitral. | Mitral incompetence | Mitral and aortic. | Aortic | Total. | ||
| — | — | ||||||||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | — | — | - | ||||||||
| - | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | - | |||||||
| — | |||||||||||||||
| - | - | - | — | - | - | — | - | ||||||||
| — | — | — | - | — | |||||||||||
| — | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| Lost sight of—ailing at last note | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| Lost sight of—fair condition at last note | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| Left London | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||
| Total | |||||||||||||||
It is probable that the majority of those who were lost sight of subsequent to being invalided
have died. There has thu3 been a fatality rate of between 8 and 15 per cent, in five years, but, on the
other hand, 30 per cent. have been able to return to the ordinary schools or to proceed to productive
employment.
The antecedent history of the 743 cases of acquired valvular disease of the heart is of interest,
and shows the frequency with which this disease has been preceded by rheumatism or chorea.
The following tables give this information for boys and girls respectively.
| Antecedent history. | Nature of valvular lesion. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boys. | Mitral stenosis. | Double mitral. | Mitral incompetence | Mitral and aortic. | Aortic. | Total. |
| Rheumatism | 4 | 19 | 97 | 19 | 14 | 153 |
| Rheumatism and chorea | - | 2 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 16 |
| Rheumatism and scarlet fever | - | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| Chorea | - | 4 | 17 | - | 1 | 22 |
| Scarlet fever | - | 1 | 5 | - | - | 6 |
| Diphtheria | - | - | 2 | - | - | 2 |
| Measles | 1 | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| Pneumonia | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | 3 |
| No history of illness at onset and no history of rheumatism or chorea | 2 | 13 | 56 | 6 | 3 | 80 |
| Total | 7 | 42 | 192 | 28 | 21 | 290 |
| Antecedent history. Girls. | Nature of valvular lesion. | |||||
| Mitral stenosis. | Double mitral. | Mitral incompetence | Mitral and aortic. | Aortic. | Total. | |
| Rheumatism | 6 | 29 | 159 | 9 | 5 | 208 |
| Rheumatism and chorea | - | 6 | 29 | - | 35 | |
| Rheumatism and scarlet fever | 1 | 2 | 9 | 1 | - | 13 |
| Chorea | 7 | 8 | 43 | 1 | — | 59 |
| Scarlet fever | — | 1 | 7 | — | 3 | 11 |
| Diphtheria | - | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Measles | - | - | _- | - | — | — |
| Pneumonia | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | 3 |
| No history of illness at onset and no history of rheumatism | 5 | 18 | 95 | 2 | 3 | 123 |
| Total | 19 | 66 | 344 | 13 | 11 | 453 |
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