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

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Leyton 1937

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Leyton]

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SCARLET FEVER.

Year.Cases Notified.Deaths.Case Fatality per cent.
193374340.54
193468130.44
193540910.24
193636720.54
193730900.00

From these figures it will be seen that during the last five years
there has been a progressive fall in the incidence of scarlet fever.
The disease continued of the mild type to which we have
become accustomed during recent years.
No death was certified as due to scarlet fever.
Treated in Hospitals:—
Leyton Isolation Hospital 208
Walthamstow Isolation Hospital 2
Plaistow Fever Hospital 3
East Ham Fever Hospital 1
London Fever Hospital 5
L.C.C. Hospitals 2
Whipps Cross Hospital 3
224
Treated at home 85
309
Incidence of Complications.
With regard to the incidence of complications in scarlet fever,
it is generally held that a definite correlation exists between overcrowding
of hospital wards and increased incidence of complications;
but I have never been able to find any published results in support
of that view.
In the estimation of complication incidence rates much depends
on the standard accepted by the observer, for one will accept and
schedule as a complication a slight departure from normal which
would be disregarded by another ; and for that reason such rates
are not strictly comparable unless their estimation is carried out by
the same observer.