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
Willesden 1931
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Willesden]
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61
THE FORTIETH ANNUAL REPORT
on the
MUNICIPAL HOSPITAL
By ARTHUR G. TROUP, M.D., D.P.H.,
Medical Superintendent.
During 1931,842 patients were admitted to Hospital as compared with 1,029 in 1930, 955
in 1929, 1,037 in 1928, 767 in 1927 and 846 in 1926.
Cerebro-Spinal Fever.
Four cases of this disease were admitted during the year. One was of the malignant or fulminating
type, and died within 24 hours of admission to hospital. Another case is of particular
interest. Owing to certain difficulties it was not practical to administer serum by the usual inthrathecal
route. Optic atrophy developed and the child was apparently blind for some considerable
time. Recovery gradually took place, and six months after the child had been discharged from
hospital she was in very good health and the eyesight normal.
Diphtheria.
250 cases were admitted as compared with 420 cases during 1930. These cases may be classified
as follows:-Faucial 152, Nasal 59, Faucial and Nasal 15, Laryngeal 12, Aural 7, Bacteriological 5.
It was necessary to perform the operation of tracheotomy on four of the laryngeal cases, of
which 3 recovered and 1 died from acute septic pneumonia. The total number of deaths from
diphtheria was 5, giving a mortality rate of 1.69 per cent. This rate is calculated on the total number
of cases treated during the year excluding the bacteriological cases. The rate is the lowest ever
recorded at the Municipal Hospital. The corresponding mortality rate for England and Wales for
the year 1930 was 4.73 per cent.
Table No. 56.
| Diseases. | Remaining on 1st Jan., 1931. | Admitted. | Total under treatment. | Discharged recovered. | Died. | Mortality per cent. | Remaining on 31st Dec., 1931. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cerebro-Spinal Fever | - | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 25.0 | 1 |
| Diphtheria | 50 | 245 | 295 | 258 | 5 | 1.69 | 32 |
| Diphtheria (Bacterio logical) | - | 5 | 5 | 5 | - | - | - |
| Enteric Fever | — | 7 | 7 | 5 | — | — | 2 |
| Erysipelas | 4 | 23 | 27 | 21 | 3 | 11.11 | 3 |
| Measles | 4 | 30 | 34 | 29 | 1 | 2.94 | 4 |
| Mixed infections | 1 | 10 | 11 | 11 | — | - | - |
| Puerperal infections | 1 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 5.88 | - |
| Scarlet Fever | 35 | 375 | 410 | 358 | 3 | 0.73 | 49 |
| Whooping Cough | 3 | 27 | 30 | 27 | 3 | 10.0 | — |
| Other diseases | 1 | 100 | 101 | 96 | 4 | 3.96 | 1 |
| Totals | 99 | 842 | 941 | 828 | 21 | — | 92 |
Enteric Fever.
Two cases of Typhoid Fever and 5 of Paratyphoid Fever B were admitted during the year.
All the patients had moderate attacks of the disease with no serious complications. One case has
developed into a carrier, and was still in hospital at the time of writing this report.
Erysipelas.
Twenty-seven cases of this disease were treated during the course of the year. Most of these
patients had severe virulent attacks and 4 deaths occurred.
Measles.
Thirty cases of this disease were treated in hospital during the year. No measles cross infection
occurred in any of the wards. I would draw attention to the remarks made in last year's report
regarding the serum treatment of measles and the prevention of cross infection in hospitals.