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
Southall 1937
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Southall]
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Diphtheria.
One hundred and twenty-two cases notified as diphtheria were admitted
to the hospital. One hundred of these were confirmed as diphtheria; the rest
were diagnosed as Suffering from other conditions. The clinical types in the
cases in which the diagnosis was substantiated were as follows:—
Anterior-nasal 20
Laryngeal 1
Faucial 44
Naso-pharyngeal 15
Bacteriological 20
Five of the cases were double infections on admission, suffering
coincidentally from streptococcal pharyngitis. One case developed epidemic
paratitis the day after admission. There was no secondary case.
Five of the cases were double infections on admission, suffering
coincidentally from streptococcal pharyngitis. One case developed epidemic
paratitis the day after admission. There was no secondary case.
The following table shows the incidence of the disease in age groups of the 100 cases diagnosed as Diphtheria in the hospital:—
| Age (years) | 0-5 | 5-15 | 15-25 | 25-35 | 35+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 |
The complications recorded were as follows :—
| Bull Neck | |
| Myocarditis | 13 |
| Cardiac Failure | |
| Palatal Paresis | |
| Acute Nephritis | 1 |
| Otitis Media |
In the four instances where the disease was fatal, three were of the nasopharyngeal
type and one laryngeal.
In all, 2,770,000 units of antitoxin were given to 100 cases of diphtheria,
the highest dosage being 94,000 and the average being 28,000. In six cases
antitoxin was given intravenously as well as intramuscularly, and in the rest
it was given only intramuscularly.
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