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
Ealing 1946
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ealing]
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42
The majority of the complications were of a mild type. Thus
4 out of the 9 cases of otitis media subsided without otorrhoea
and only one case of cervical adenitis developed a glandular abscess.
There was, however, one fatal case of scarletinal myocarditis
in a 5 year old child in which death from acute heart failure occurred
within 12 hours of the onset of the symptoms on the fifth day
after admission. This must have been an instance of the now
rare hypertoxic variety of the disease, though previous signs and
symptoms had not suggested that such was the case.
In the following cases admitted as suffering from scarlet fever the diagnosis had to be altered as shown.
| Tonsillitis | 3 |
| Rubella | 2 |
| Toxic Erythema | 1 |
| Purpura Simplex | 1 |
| Papular Urticaria | 1 |
| Measles | 1 |
| Eczema | 1 |
| Dermatitis | 1 |
| Pharyngitis | 1 |
| Lobar Pneumonia | 1 |
Measles.—There was a total of 86 cases of measles admitted
during the year. The liigh proportion of measles admissions was
due to the occurrence of an epidemic of this disease during the
last four months of the year which necessitated reserving a special
ward for measles patients. 54 of these admissions were from
Ealing and 32 from Brentford & Chiswick. The age distribution
of measles cases was as follows :
Under 3 3-5 Over 5
46 21 19
The complications encountered, most of which were present on admission, were as follows:
| Broncho Pneumonia | 21 |
| Otitis Media | 5 |
| Bronchitis | 4 |
| Acute Mastoiditis | 2 |
| Gastro Enteritis | |
| Scarlet Fever and Septicaemia | 1 |
| Cellulitis | 1 |
| Tonsillitis | 1 |
| Blepharitis | 1 |
| Subcutaneous Abscess | 1 |
| Pharyngitis | 1 |
| Stomatitis | 1 |
| Conjunctivitis | 1 |
| Coryza | 1 |