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Enteric or Typhoid Fever.— Under this heading are included
all cases belonging to the typhoid or paratyphoid group of fevers.
Of the 12 cases notified ten were of paratyphoid B fever and two
of typhoid fever. The age and sex distribution of the patients
were as follows:—
0-5 5-10 10-15 15-20 20-35 35-45 45-65
Typhoid Male — — — — 1 — —
Fever Female — — — 1 — —- —
Paratyphoid B Male — 1 1 — 2 — 1
Fever Female — 1 — — 4 — —
They were distributed throughout the year, one in March,
2 in April, 3 in May, one in July, 2 in August and 3 in September.
One of the patients was a nurse who developed the disease as a
result of nursing a case at home, two men developed the disease
abroad, two were presumably infected from cream which was shown
to be the source of infection in other cases occurring in several
Metropolitan Boroughs, whereas with regard to the other 7 cases
no source of infection of the disease could be discovered.
There were four deaths which give a mortality rate of 0.04
per 1,000 of population.
Smallpox.— One case of smallpox was notified during the year.
An account of this case is given in the Report which was submitted
to the Town Council at the time of its occurrence. Fortunately
no further cases arose after the submission of the Report which is
as follows:—
REPORT TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE.
Case of Smallpox.
On the evening of the 12th March, I received a telephone message
from the Medical Officer of Health to the Wandsworth Borough Council
that a man, W. B., of Broomfield Road, Ealing, had visited his wife
at the Springfield Mental Hospital on the previous day, that he had a
rash on him then, and that his wife on that day had been removed
to Hospital suffering from Smallpox.
Within a few minutes of receiving the message I saw W. B., 71
years of age., at Broomfield Road. I came to the conclusion that he
was suffering from Smallpox. I then saw the medical practitioner
who had examined this man on the previous Thursday, the 8th March.
His description of the rash supported my conclusion. Thereupon I
telephoned Dr. Wanklyn of the London County Council, a recognised
authority on Smallpox, who very kindly came out to see the case within
three-quarters of an hour. He confirmed my diagnosis of Smallpox.