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
Marylebone 1922
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Marylebone, Metropolitan Borough]
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The total number of notifications coming to hand was 1,008. The bulk of the
notifications related to scarlet fever, which contributed 339 to the total. Other
diseases in respect of which fairly large numbers of notifications were received were
diphtheria (268), tuberculosis (194), and pneumonia (113).
In 1921 the number of cases notified was 1,157.
The notification rate (proportion to population of notified cases of infectious
diseases) in 1922 was 9.5 per 1,000 as against 10'9 in 1921.
Isolation of Cases.—As the following table shows, the number of cases
removed was as high as usual:—
Diphtheria 261 or 97.4 per cent. of the cases notified.
Erysipelas 18 „ 34.6 „ „ „
Scarlet Fever 331 „ 97.6 „ „ „
Enteric and Paratyphoid
Fever 9 „ 75.0 „ „ „
Ophthalmia Neonatorum 10 „ 45.4 „ „ „
Tuberculosis 69 „ 35.5 „ „ „
Pneumonia 33 „ 29.2 „ „ „
The cost of carrying out the requirements of the Public Health (London) Act,
1891, and the various regulations with regard to notification was £89 5s. 9d. equal
to 16s. 11d. per 1,000 of the population.
The cost and rate per 1,000 for each of the past 10 years, are shown in the following table:—
| Year. | Amounts paid to Medical Practitioners | Cost per 1,000 of Population. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 124 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 1914 | 137 | 9 | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 1915 | 116 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 1916 | 101 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 1917 | 163 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 2 |
| 1918 | 86 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 6 |
| 1919 | 98 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 1920 | 88 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 3 |
| 1921 | 82 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 7 |
| 1922 | 89 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 16 | 11 |
Discharge Notices.—The number of certificates received from the Metropolitan
Asylums Board regarding the return of patients sent to hospital with infectious
diseases was 458 and referred to 597 cases. Visits were paid to these cases by the
District Inspectors, and advice given as to date of the return of children to school and
the advisability of obtaining treatment for and isolation of any suffering from any
sequel of a disease.
Diphtheria and Membranous Croup.
Diphtheria was more prevalent in 1922 than in any year since 1896, the actual
number of cases being 268. The number in 1921 was 239. Of the cases 30 died,
and the case mortality rate was 11.1 per cent.