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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
City of London 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London, City of ]
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20
NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
In the following Tables will be found particulars of infectious diseases notified under Sections 55 and 56 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, and information as to the removal of patients to hospitals, infirmaries,
| NATURE OF DISEASE. | Number of Certificates received. | Treated at Home. | Removed, to the Metropolitan Asylums Board Hospitals. | Removed to the London Fever Hospital. | Treated at other Hospitals and Infirmaries. | Duplicate Certificates received. | Diagnosis subsequently found to be incorrect. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small-pox | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Diphtheria | 36 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 1 |
| Scarlet Fever | 101 | — | 60 | 18 | 2 | 19 | 2 |
| Enteric „ | 7 | — | 3 | — | 2 | 2 | — |
| Puerperal „ | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Erysipelas | 14 | 4 | 1 | — | 6 | 4 | — |
| Cerebro-Spinal Meningitis | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Acute Polio-myelitis and Polio-encephalitis | — | - | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ophthalmia neonatorum | 4 | 3 | — | — | — | 1 | — |
| Totals | 163 | 8 | 79 | 24 | 17 | 32 | 3 |
| * Chicken-pox | 22 | 21 | — | - | — | 1 | - |
| Totals | 185 | 29 | 79 | 24 | 17 | 33 | 3 |
It will be seen from the foregoing that during the year, excluding Chicken-pox,
163 Certificates were received, including 32 "duplicates," and three in which the
diagnosis was subsequently found to be incorrect.
The total number of cases of "notifiable infectious disease" was, therefore, 128, as
compared with 88 for the previous year. The total number of cases of Scarlet Fever
reported was 80, as compared with 45 last year.
In Greater London the number of cases of Scarlet Fever has recently greatly
increased; during one week, viz., seven days ended 17th October, no less than 876
cases were reported and more than †25,000 during the year 1914; as indicated in my
report last year this increase has naturally had an effect upon City residents who are
surrounded by a numerous and dense population. Any abnormal increase of infection
is readily conveyed from outlying districts to the centre.
The following is a Return of infectious diseases notified, exclusive of Chicken-pox, in the City of London, with the percentages of such cases removed to hospitals for treatment or nursed at home during 1914, compared with the figures for the previous five years —
| Year. | Number of cases reported. | Per cent, of cases-reported. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Removed to Hospital. | Treated at Home. | ||
| 1909 | 67 | 82.1 | 17.9 |
| 1910 | 54 | 79.6 | 20.4 |
| 1911 | 67 | 83.6 | 16.4 |
| 1912 | 66 | 84.8 | 15.2 |
| 1913 | 88 | 94.3 | 5.7 |
| Average for previous five years. | 68 | 84.9 | 15.1 |
| 1914 | 128 | 93.8 | 6.2 |