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

View report page

City of London 1924

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Port of London]

This page requires JavaScript

TABLE III.

Return of the number of cases of Infectious Disease notified to the Ministry of Health during the year 1924, and of deaths from the diseases notified.

This Table includes all cases actually introduced or occurring within the Port, but does not include cases reported as having occurred on vessels during the voyage, but which had either recovered or been removed from the vessel before arrival at Gravesend.

Notified.Deaths.Notified.Deaths.
SmallpoxBrought forward514
Scarlet Fever51Continued Fever
Diphtheria (including Membranous Croup)17_Trench Fever
Dysentery6
Enteric Fever (Typhoid and Paratyphoid)183Ophthalmia Neonatorum
Erysipelas4
Pneumonia11Tuberculosis:—
CholeraRespiratory661
PlagueOther Forms5
Puerperal FeverMalaria501
Cerebro-spinal FeverChickenpox28
Acute PoliomyelitisMeasles (excluding German
Acute Polio-encephalitisMeasles10
Encephalitis LethargicaWhooping Cough
Typhus FeverOther Diseases42
Relapsing Fever
Total2626
Carried forward514

TABLE IV.—C holera.

Date.Name of Vessel, Port of Registry and Official No.Where from.No. of Cases.How dealt with.
1924. Sept. 15ss. " Argalia," Glasgow, 142,474.CubalLanded at Bassein.

CHOLERA.
ss. " Argalia " arrived from Cuba, 15th September, 1924. This vessel was
loading at Bassein, where there was epidemic cholera. The patient, a donkeyman,
became suddenly ill on the 14th May, 1924, and was landed immediately. The
case proved fatal, and was diagnosed as cholera there. There were no other cases,
and the vessel left for Durban, subsequently.
Fumigation of infected quarters was carried out, and effects destroyed.
The case occurred previous to the present voyage, and was reported on arrival
at Gravesend.
All on board were well on arrival, and the vessel proceeded to West India
Docks.

TABLE V.—P lague.

Date.Name of Vessel, Port of Registry and Official No.Where from.No. of Cases.How dealt with.
1924. Dec. 23ss. " Atlanticos," Syra.New OrleanslLanded New Orleans.

PLAGUE.
The ss. " Atlanticos " arrived at Gravesend, December 23rd. Warning of
her history had been received from the Ministry of Health through the United
States Public Health Service, previously.
A stowaway from Oran (4th Oct., 1924) worked as coal trimmer till the ship
reached New Orleans, 27th October. On this day he was ill of fever and swelling
in the groin. On October 28th he was sent to hospital and the diagnosis of plague
was made 5 days later.
The ship left New Orleans, 27th November ; during the month's stay the
crew were under observation—no further case of plague occurred.
The vessel went from Barcelona to Oran for bunker coal and thence to New
Orleans in ballast, but had shipped 2,000 tons of cargo before the final fumigation.
The cargo thus shipped was timber, rice and carbon black.
On the 30th October there was a cyanide fumigation of the ship.