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
Croydon 1923
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]
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21
WORK OF THE BOROUGH HOSPITAL.
The Borough Hospital for infectious diseases contains 170
beds, 12 of which, in a separate block, are utilised for the treatment
of tuberculosis. In addition, 5 shelters are provided for other
tuberculous patients.
The year was in general an easy one, the number of patients
admitted for treatment being much below the average.
The installation of a system of central heating of the ward
blocks by steam from the boiler house was completed early in the
summer, and was in regular use during the autumn and winter.
Reference has been made above to the various types of disease
which have been under treatment at the hospital duriner the vear.
The following table sets out the number of patients admitted, and the conditions for which they were admitted, during 1923 and previous years : —
| Patients admitted from Croydon C. B. and Penge U.D. for:— | Cases admitted during 1914. | Cases admitted during 1915. | Cases admitted during 1916. | Case admitted during 1917. | Cases admitted during 1918. | Cases admitted during 1919. | Cases admitted during 1920. | Cases admitted during 1921. | Cases admitted during 1922. | Cases admitted during 1923. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphtheria | 211 | 200 | 313 | 207 | 179 | 433 | 540 | 456 | 349 | 206 (2) |
| Cerebro Sp. Meningitis | — | 67 | 24 | 38 | 23 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 1 (3) |
| Pulmonary Tuberculosa | 56 | 61 | 44 | 40 | 37 | 44 | 63 | 64 | 58 | 66 (4) |
| Enteric Fever | 15 | 13 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 4 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 8 (5) |
| Puerperal Fever | 2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Morbilli (Measles) | — | 9 | 17 | 25 | 17 | 6 | 4 | — | — | 10 |
| Rubella(GermanM easles) | — | — | — | 12 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Mumps .. | — | — | — | 20 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | — | — |
| Erysipelas | — | — | — | 18 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 6 | 4 |
| Encephalitis Lethargica | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5(6) |
| Other diseases | 10 | 11 | 33 | 10 | 37 | 29 | 24 | 28 | 14 | 22 (7) |
| Total | 947 | 778 | 738 | 579 | 711 | 1068 | 1246 | 1313 | 1108 | 674 |
* The numbers in brackets refer to the following notes :—
(1) Includes 3 cases of scarlet fever, also suffering from diphtheria.
(2) Includes 1 case of diphtheria, also suffering from scarlet fever.
(3) Found to be influenza.
(4) Includes 1 case of tuberculous meningitis and 1 of lupus.
(5) 3 had typhoid fever, 1 paratyphoid A, 1 paratyphoid B, 1 had
pneumococcal septicaemia, 1 chronic nephritis, 1 acute enteritis.
(6) 3 had encephalitis, 1 cerebral abscess, 1 tuberculous meningitis.
(7) Includes 5 cases of ophthalmia neonatorum, 2 of whooping cough,
3 of gastro-enteritis, 1 of chickenpox, and 11 with no appreciable
disease.
The average daily number of beds occupied amounted to 80,
as compared with 143,5 for the previous year,