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

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Leyton 1933

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]

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43
The result of the bacteriological examinations showed the
causative organism to be Bacillus Paratyphosus B. in 2 cases and
Bacillus Typhosus in one case. In case No. 2 (treated at home)
the parents declined to have blood samples taken for bacteriological
examination.
Scarlet Fever.
These figures show that the incidence of Scarlet Fever was
extremely high during 1933, as many as 743 cases having been
notified. On consulting the records it is found that the number
of cases (743) notified in 1933 is the greatest in any year since 1921,
when 1,320 cases were notified. It is of interest to compare the
scarlet fever figures for the last five years with those of the fiveyear
period commencing in 1892, the first year for which complete
comparative records are available.

As the Council's present Temporary Isolation Hospital was opened for the reception of scarlet fever patients (43) in the year 1896, a comparison of these two five-year periods should provide material from which some inferences may be drawn with regard to the efficacy of hospital isolation and treatment.

Year.Cases Notified.Deaths.Case Fatality per cent.
192948910.20
193046120.43
193129720.67
193236051.38
193374340.54
Totals2,350130.55
1892646192.94
1893541244.3
1894486112.2
1895507122.3
189650161.1
Totals2,681722.68

In my Annual Report for the year 1930 I pointed out that
"Although neither hospital isolation nor any other form
of public control has been successful in effecting any marked
reduction in the incidence of this disease (scarlet fever), there
is no doubt that a marked and progressive decline in the
mortality from scarlet fever has been going on over a fairly
long period."