London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1934
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington]
This page requires JavaScript
1934] 36
was just an occasional case of Enteric Fever was due to the fact that infection
is largely a matter of chance ; for instance, the fly may not have carried infection,
the particular individual occupying the room may not have been in a receptive
condition, may have been immune, etc., but it showed a commendable degree of
observation that my attention should have been drawn to the curious fact that
these occasional Enteric Fever cases occurred in the case of inmates of a particular
room. The necessary reconstruction of the drainage was carried out.
Puerperal Fever.—See page 12.
Erysipelas.—193 cases were notified, and were 47 above the average of the
preceding ten years, the attack-rate being 0.61 per 1,000 of the civil population.
FATALITY FROM THE PRINCIPAL NOTIFIABLE
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
By " Fatality " is meant the percentage proportion of deaths to attacks of
sickness.
During the year it was found that of the 2,227 cases notified, 65 deaths occurred, or 2.9 per cent., which contrasts with an average percentage of 2.7 in the preceding ten years 1924-33.
| Years. | Cases. | Deaths. | Fatality. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 2,087* | 66 | 3.2 |
| 1925 | 2,194 | 61 | 2.3 |
| 1926 | 1.919‡ | 63 | 3.3 |
| 1927 | 1,813 | 55 | 3.0 |
| 1928 | 2,260 | 60 | 2.7 |
| 1929 | 2,439 | 57 | 2.3 |
| J 930 | 3,057 | 80 | 2.6 |
| 1931 | 2,111 | 43 | 2.0 |
| 1932 | 1.962 | 50 | 2.7 |
| 1933 | 2,016 | 67 | 3.3 |
| Mean | 2,186 | 59 | 2.7 |
| 1934 | 2,227 | 65 | 2.9 |
| * Including 2 cases not notified. ‡ Includes 1 cass not notified | |||
Hospital Isolation.—Of the 2,227 cases of infectious disease notified,
2,064 were isolated in hospital, equal to a percentage of 92.6, while only 7.4 per
cent, of the patients were nursed at home.
The following tabular statement shows the number of cases treated in the various public institutions :—
| Year. | Cases treated in Hospital. | Percentage of cases treated. |
|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 1,975 | 94.6 |
| 1925 | 2,105 | 96.9 |
| 1926 | 1,852 | 96.5 |
| 1927 | 1,722 | 95.0 |
| 1928 | 2,153 | 95.3 |
| 1929 | 2,337 | 95.8 |
| 1930 | 2,879 | 94.2 |
| 1931 | 2,015 | 95.4 |
| 1932 | 1,879 | 95.7 |
| 1933 | 1,911 | 94.3 |
| 1934 | 2,227 | 92.6 |