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Shoreditch Infirmary or into general hospitals in the neighbourhood. Cases of
measles, whooping cough and puerperal fever, the patients not being paupers, as
well as Poor Law cases, may be admitted into the hospitals of the Metropolitan
Asylums Board under the Orders made by the Local Government Hoard in 1911
and 1912.
The notifiable infectious diseases, cases of which are now receivable into the
hospitals of the Board, are smallpox, scarlet fever, diphtheria, enteric fever,
typhus fever, poliomyelitis, puerperal fever, and cerebro-spinal fever. The
number of cases of these diseases certified (Table II., Appendix) was 680, and the
number removed to hospital (not necessarily to hospitals of the Metropolitan
Asylums Board) was 661, which gives a percentage of 97.2 as compared with 95.5
in 1913, 96.1 in 1912, 97.0 in 1911, 97.7 in 1910, 97 in 1909, 97.3 in 1908, 97.5 in
1907, and 96 in 1906. The percentages for previous years are contained in the
report for 1905.
During October and November prompt removal of cases of scarlet fever and
diphtheria to the hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board could not in
many cases be obtained. This appears to have been due to the accommodation at
the disposal of the Board becoming restricted, owing to the increasing numbers
of cases which had to be coped with. It became necessary, therefore, to send
to the Board daily lists of the cases requiring removal. Those most urgent were
attended to first, and all were eventually removed. Some, however, had to wait
several days, and the departure from the customary practice was severely felt in
the Borough. Moreover, it was not unattended by considerable risk of extension
of the diseases in a densely populated poor locality like Shoreditch, and possibly
was not without some effect in this respect.
RETURN CASES.
Two instances came under observation in which scarlet fever followed on the
return from hospital of patients who had been suffering from that disease:—
Alice M-. aged 12, was in hospital from July 10th to August 20th, on which
date she returned home. James M-, aged 5, of the same address, was taken
ill on August 29th, and certified on 31st. The mother stated that she noticed that
Alice's feet were peeling on her return from hospital.
Lily G-, aged 10, after being in hospital for 44 days, returned home on
October 9th. It is stated that there was some peeling of the feet, but otherwise
there was nothing to comment on. Charlotte G-, aged 20, cf the same
address, was taken ill on October 13th and certified on 16th. Isabella C-,
aged 11, a playmate of Lily G-, resident in the same street, was in her company
on October 12th ; she fell ill on October 15th, and was certified on 19th.
Arthur S-, aged 7½, also a playmate, resident in an adjoining street, was
taken ill on October 16th, and was certified on the 19th.