View report page

Three cases occurred at one house in North Woolwich.
A brother and his wife were notified some two weeks before in
the adjoining borough of West Ham. The mother visited at their
house, probably helped to nurse, and no doubt conveyed the infection
through unclean hands infecting food. One case was attributed
to mussels, one to a soldier carrier, and one to Sittingbourne.
One was a soldier in the garrison.
Of the 12 cases notified, 10 were removed to a Fever
Hospital and 5 were reported as mistaken diagnosis.
A report was made in 1916 on the prevention of flycarried
infection' of enteric fever (see Zymotic Enteritis).
47. Bacteriological Diagnosis. 9 samples of blood were
sent to the Seamen's Hospital to be examined for Widal's reaction.
A positive result was obtained in four.
DIARRHOEA OR ZYMOTIC ENTERITIS.
48. The deaths from diarrhoea and enteritis under two
years of age were 24 or 8.9 per 1,000 births, compared with 9.9,
10.7, and 7.2 in the preceding years. The rate for London was
18.7. The total number of deaths from these diseases at all
ages was 39.
Notification. Voluntary notification of zymotic enteritis
during July, August, and September, commenced in Woolwich in
1905. Compulsory notification commenced August 25th, 1913, and
is unlimited as to season.
101 cases were notified in the past year, compared with
199, 173, and 80, in the three preceding years. Seven cases
were notified from January to May, 5 in June, 8 in July, 31 in
August, 33 in September, 10 in October and 7 in November and
December.
The fatality rate (deaths under two years per 100 notified
cases under two) was 20.7. This high fatality probably
points more to neglect to notify rather than to prevalence of a
type of disease severer than usual. Medical men, especially
locum tenens, are not aware, or forget that this disease is notifiable,
in spite of a circular reminder being sent every year.
As compared with the County, Woolwicn had a very low
death rate from diarrhoea and enteritis during the summer quarter.
Per 1,000 births, the death-rate of children under 2 was 28.1
in London and only 17.7 in Woolwich (12 deaths). Only the City,
Kensington, Chelsea, and Hampstead, had a lower rate.
17