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

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Carshalton 1947

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Carshalton]

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The first case occurred on the 17th May. There followed one case
in June, five in July, five in August, one in September, and two in
October. Five were fatal. Of the ten who survived, one was an
abortive case, which never developed any paralysis, and five recovered
completely with no disability.
Details of the cases are as follows:-

TABLE 19

Case No.M. & F.Age.Onset.Death.Disability (August, 1948).
years
1F.1 10/12May 17-Paralysis right leg-wearing irons.
2M.10June 29July 6
3M.5July 12-Difficulty with speech.
4M.13July 16July 31
5M.9July 21-Paralysis of trunk and right side-in-patient still.
6M.6July 24-Complete recovery.
7F.30July 29Aug. 18
10F.1Aug. 1-Complete recovery.
8F.26Aug. 4Aug. 10
9M.38Aug. 10-Abortive case-no paralysis.
11F.14Aug. 12-Complete recovery.
12M.14Aug. 16Aug. 22
13M.11Sept. 23-Slight weakness of one foot.
14F.4Oct. 10-Complete recovery.
15M.14Oct. 21-Complete recovery.

In the five fatal cases it will be seen that the interval between
onset of illness and death was 6, 7, 8, 15 and 20 days.
Careful and complete enquiries were made into each case and the
contacts followed up closely. In the course of these investigations,
many instances came to notice where contacts had developed, about
the same time, symptoms from which they made comparatively rapid
recovery without any evidence of paralysis and for which medical
assistance had not been sought. There is good grounds for believing
that these were reactions to the same infection and were in effect mild
abortive cases. Since the infecting agent cannot, in the ordinary way,
be isolated, proof is lacking, but the circumstantial evidence is strong.
It would seem in such circumstances that, in epidemic times, the distribution
of this infection is very much wider than recognised clinical
cases indicate and that reaction to it to the extent of producing paralysis
is comparatively infrequent. What determines whether infection by
the virus proceeds to the severer limits of disability is probably dependent
upon several factors among which fatigue should undoubtedly
be included.
There was no instance where more than one definitely clinically
recognisable case occurred in one household. The cases were well
distributed throughout the district, except for one small marked focus
of infection in the vicinity of Culvers Avenue, where four cases occurred
within a radius of 150 yards.
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