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

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Shoreditch 1904

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]

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26
cases is not clear but the probability is that the mother infected the child. The cases
were not certified until October 28th.
(2) Daniel C, aged 29, husband of Mrs. C, labourer, sleeping at No. 10,
H Place, but having all his meals out, was certified to have enteric fever on
November 23rd. He first complained of being unwell about November 8th but was
probably ailing for a few days prior to that date. He sought medical advice first on
November 20th and took to his bed the same day. This patient was in the habit of
visiting his wife in the hospital.
In connection with the following cases there is the poss:bility of infection in the
first instance through the consumption of cockles:
About th2 end of the first or beginning of the second week of September it
appears that a Mrs. B, resid'ng in Hackhvy, n the Shoreditch Boundary, visited
Southend for the day. She returned with a Mrs. E and her children, who resided
at No. 149, G Street, a public house. They had cockles at Southend, and
brought some home with them. About October 2nd Mrs. B fell ill,
took to her bed on October 6th and died from typhoid fever on November 13th. The
case was treated at home, the husband helping in the nursing, attending to the patient at
night. Mr. B— was employed during the day as General Manager at the public house
at No. 149, G- Street, of which Mr. Thomas E, husband of Mrs. E-, was
proprietor. Towards the end of October, during the last week of the month, Thomas
E- fell ill. He took to his bed on November 6th, was certified to be suffering from
typhoid fever on November 12th and was removed to hospital on November 14th.
On November 20th Stanley John B—, aged eleven months, son of Mrs. B,
died from an illness apparently lasting about 8 days, which was regarded as being
" consumptive bowels " Widal's test in this case is said to have been negative. .
The drains at No. 149 G— Street, were in a defective state and had to be reconstructed.
There was no history of any previous illness in the house likely to have been
typhoid fever, and Mr. E-had not been away for months previous to his illness.
With regard to the above cases it is possible that Mrs. B- received infection
through the consumption of cockles and indirectly, through the medium of her husband
who was nursing her infection was conveyed from her to Mr. E-, at 149 G—Street.
The possibility that Stanley John B- may have died from typhoid fever, having
been directly infected through the mother, may be mentioned, but it is very doubtful
that such was the case.
ERYSIPELAS.
The cases certified as erysipelas numbered 183 as compared with 147 last year and 173
for 1902. The numbers for previous years are contained in the Report for 1901. The
deaths numbered 5 as compared with 7 in 1903, 8 in 1902, 6 in 1901, 10 in 1900, 16 in
1899, 11 in 1898, 5 in 1897, 3 in 1896, 5 in 1895, 5 in 1894, and 15 in 1893.