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
West Ham 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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77
scarlet Fever.-The total number of cases under treatment
was 470, which is 61 more than in the previous year.
Of these, 399 were discharged recovered, 4 died, and 67
remained under treatment at the end of the year. Of the 4
fatal cases, one suffered from shock due to burns; septic
complications and broncho-pneumonia were contributory
causes of death in the other 3 cases. The fatality rate was
.97 per cent. of the admissions.
In 52 cases the disease was complicated by the presence of other infections as follows :—
| Scarlet Fever with Diphtheria | 10 cases |
| ,, ,, ,, Measles | 12 „ |
| Whooping Cough | 8 „ |
| Mumps | 9 „ |
| ,, ,, ,, Chickenpox | 13 „ |
Twenty-nine cases admitted as Scarlet Fever proved to
be wrongly diagnosed and were found after admission to be
suffering from the following diseases:—
Measles, 8; Rubella, 7; Septic rash, 2; Urticaria, 2;
Erythema, 3; Tonsillitis, 2; Jaundice, 2; Chickenpox, 1;
Lobar Pneumonia, 2.
Four cases admitted as Diphtheria were found to be
suffering from Scarlet Fever.
Complications:—Of the 399 cases discharged during the year 262 or 65.6 per cent. suffered from complications as follows: —
| Arthritis | 13 cases or 3.2 per cent. |
| Otorrhœa | 30 ,, 7.5 ,, |
| Nephritis | 8 ,, 2.0 ,, |
| Albuminuria | 34 ,, 8.5 ,, |
| Cardiac affections | 4 „ 1.0 ,, |
| Adenitis | 122 ,, 30.5 ,, |
| Rhinitis | 51 „ 12.7 ,, |
The average duration of residence of all the cases was
46.88 days.