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

View report page

Kensington 1890

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington]

This page requires JavaScript

45
and twice in December. Enteric fever admissions rose to the
maximum once in September; eleven times in October; six
times in November; and once in December. Diphtheria admissions
attained the maximum in November of 1889, and in
September of 1890—cases of this disease having been admitted
for the first time in October, 1888.
Scarlet fever is most fatal to children under five years of
age—amongst whom over 50 per cent. of the total deaths have
occurred during the period 1872-1890, while of the patients
over 15 only 4.76 per cent. died. A greater immunity from
attack is enjoyed by the male sex after five years of age (there is
equality in sex-liability prior to that age), but the difference
in the rate of mortality is 1.52 per cent. in favour of the
female sex. Diphtheria is also most fatal in its effects on children
under five years of age, amongst whom upwards of 60 per cent.
of the total deaths occurred. Enteric fever admissions were
208 in excess of those for 1889 : the type of disease being
severer, the mortality was 4.51 per cent. greater than in 1889.
With regard to each of the diseases above mentioned,
particulars are given shewing, in percentages, the complications
that supervened in their course. The tables shewing age and
sex of patients admitted with the several diseases, and proportionate
mortality, are very interesting: the cases, moreover,
being so numerous, the conclusions deducible, in percentages of
sex-liability and sex-mortality at different ages, are increasingly
valuable. The percentage of cases of mistaken diagnosis was,
as regards scarlet fever, 13, diphtheria 7.2, and enteric fever 26
per cent. Of 85 cases wrongly certified as scarlet fever, 32
were measles and 15 were tonsillitis. Of 74 cases certified as
diphtheria, 47 were tonsillitis. Of 165 cases certified as
enteric fever, 72 had pneumonia, 19 febricula, 6 pleurisy, and 4
influenza.