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
St Pancras 1917
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras]
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33
Of the 17 cases, 5 died, the case mortality being 29.4 per cent. One
other death was registered (in an institution outside St. Pancras), the total
number of deaths for the year being 6, equal to a death rate of 0.03 per
1000 civil population.
Other statistical facts in regard to the disease will be found on pages 13-14.
The 24 persons notified were treated as follows:—
| Cases notified. | Not Typhoid. | Diagnosis not contradicted. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| In hospitals of the M.A.B. | 11 | 6 | 5 |
| In other public hospitals | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| In their own homes | 5 | 1 | 4 |
The cases were all in different houses except for two children in one
family, aged 10 and 5 respectively, who fell ill early in November. Both
children died, and the infection was attributed to the earlier illness of a sister
aged 8, who fell ill early in October a few days after returning from
"hopping" in Kent, and suffered for a few weeks from anaemia, diarrhoea,
and intermittent fever, the diarrhoea appearing again early in December.
The latter case was never notified, and at the end of December while under
observation in hospital, was found to present no symptoms, but to give a
positive Widal reaction to B. typhosus complete at 1 in 30 and 1 in 60 and
slightly at 1 in 100.
Two cases (adults) taking their Onset about 21st October and 14th
November respectively were attributed to the eating of oysters a few days
before the onset of symptoms. There were at this time a number of cases in
London attributed to this cause.
In the other cases no source of infection was traced. One of them was a
hospital nurse.
ACUTE ANTERIOR POLIOMYELITIS.
Only one case of this disease was notified in 1917. The patient was a girl
aged If in Ward 3 (E 2): onset 25th November, 1916: notified 1st
January, 1917. The muscles of the left leg were affected, and the paralysis
persists.
EPIDEMIC CEREBROSPINAL MENINGITIS.
The incidence of this disease, which was abnormally high in 1915 and
1916, when there were 37 and 20 true cases reported respectively, continued
so in 1917.
25 persons were reported as suffering from the disease, of whom 6 were
found to be wrongly diagnosed. In addition, two others, not notified, were
reported after death, so that the total number of actual cases reported during
the year was 21, equal to an incidence rate of 0.11 per 1,000 civil population.
Of the 21 cases, 16 died (one in 1918), making a case mortality of 76 per
cent. One other death was registered in 1917 (in an institution outside St.
Pancras), the number of deaths for the year being 16, equal to a death rate
of 0.09 per 1,000 civil population.