London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Lewisham 1908

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lewisham]

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49
NOTIFIABLE INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
The infectious diseases notifiable under Section 55 of the
Public Health (London) Act, 1891, are:—Small.Pox, Cholera,
Diphtheria, Membranous Croup, Erysipelas, the diseases known
as Scarlatina or Scarlet Fever, and the Fevers known by any of
the following names:—Typhus, Typhoid, Enteric, Relapsing,
Continued or Puerperal.
The total number of cases notified during the year
amounted to 1,220, of which number 923, or 75.65 per cent., were
removed for isolation to the Metropolitan Asylums Board s
Hospitals or other Institutions. In 33 instances, or 3.57
of the cases removed, the Hospital authorities returned the
patient as not suffering from any notifiable disease. Deducting
these from the gross total, we have a corrected total
of 1187 cases of infectious disease notified as occurring in the
Borough during the year, an increase of 159 over the number
notified in the preceding year, which was 1028. In 190(5, 910
cases were notified.
Age Periods.—45.8 per cent. of the Scarlet Fever cases,
compared with 46.7 per cent. in 1907, and 53 per cent. of the
Diphtheria cases, compared with 52.6 per cent in 1907, occurred
among children aged six years and under.

The following figures show the percentage of cases occurring among children of the age of six years and under to the total notifications of Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria:—

Age.Scarlet Fever.Diphtheria.
1906.1907.1908.1906.1907.1908.
6 years and under47.8%46.7%45.8%.54.9%52.6%53.0%
5 „ „39.0%35.8%34.5%. 44.6%44.3%41.3%
4 „ „28.0%25.5%22.6%32.0%25.4%27.2%