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

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Woolwich 1903

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]

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28
44. Table III gives the age distribution, the number of
cases in each ward, and the number of these removed to
hospital. The heaviest incidence was on St. Margaret's Ward,
and specially affected the Slade School. Several mild cases
were, on examination by Dr. Thomas and myself, found to be
attending this school in an infectious state. Other unnotified
and unisolated cases I discovered in this district by visiting the
houses, one of whom was notified as Measles.
The cases were mostly exceedingly mild, as shewn by the
exceptionally low case mortality (1.0 per cent.) and were also
of feeble infectivity, or there would certainly have been a much
wider spread epidemic. One boy after an absence of a week
from school for 'cold,' was found a few days after his return to
be peeling and sent home by the teacher. The illness must
have commenced fully two weeks before, and he had during that
time been closely associated with five brothers and sisters, none
of whom were known to have had Scarlet Fever before; yet
only one of these was infected and he not for 10 days after the
first exposure.
45. There were only four deaths, giving a death rate of 0 03
per 1,000 population, the lowest rate that has occurred to my
knowledge. The lowest rate previously recorded was 0.04 in
1891, and again in 1901. The London death rate was 0.08.

The following table gives the Scarlet Fever case mortality (deaths per 100 cases), compared with London in the past three years:—

1901.1902.1903.
The Borough1.63.01.0
London County3.22.802.9