London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
East Ham 1927
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]
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39
and immunity to infectious disease, of susceptible individuals is
economical, scientific and certain; and, with education and explanation
and a desire for knowledge on the part of individual members
of the community, public prejudice against inoculation and
vaccination should be dispelled. There is no doubt that, just as
in the case of small-pox and enteric fever, such methods constitute
the only hope of eliminating the other acute infectious
diseases.
1. TREATMENT OF THE ACUTE INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
The following table indicates the number of patients admitted for each disease and the number discharged, or who have died, in the year 1927:—
| Disease. | Remaining at end of 1926. | Admitted during 1927. | Diseharged during 1927. | Died during 1927. | Remaining at end of 1927. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | 42 | 532 | 522 | 2 | 50 |
| Diphtheria | 31 | 4451 | 386 | 28* | 62 |
| Enteric Fever | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — |
| †Rubella | — | 5 | 5 | — | — |
| Varicella | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Total | 74 | 984 | 916 | 30 | 112 |
†Admitted for Scarlet Fever.
*One case admitted for diphtheria died from tubercular peritonitis.
(a) Scarlet Fever.
Excluding the 50 patients remaining in the Hospital at the
end of the year 1927 there were 524 completed cases of this disease
treated. Of these two died, giving a mortality rate of 0'38 per
cent., as compared with a rate of 104 per cent, for the previous
year. The two fatal cases included a patient suffering from the
severe septic type of the. disease and one in whom noma vulvae and
inguinal cellulitis supervened.
The chief complications which occurred in the cases under
treatment during the year were as follows:—
Cervical Adenitis 44
*Rhinitis 68
Nephritis 12
Noma vulvæ 1
Axillary Abscess 1
Otitis Media 34
Arthritis 7
Bronchitis 5
Diphtheria 12
Abscess of scalp 1
*In 42 of these cases the diphtheria bacillus was isolated and antidiphtheritic
serum was administered.