View report page

129
Sixty-eight cases of puerperal pyrexia were notified, 61 of
which occurred in or were removed to hospital. The higher case
rate in Hackney as compared with the country as a whole is due to
some extent to the allocation to this Borough of cases occurring
among unmarried women having no permanent address who are
admitted for confinement to the Salvation Army Mothers' Hospital,
Clapton, from the Rescue Homes in the Borough. Further, many
of the notifications are received from institutions where, of course,
the precautions taken would naturally result in the detection of
pyrexia in the early stages of the lying-in period. Many of these
pyrexial cases are, in fact, pyrexial from causes which have no
special connection with pregnancy such as an ordinary cold or
influenza or such conditions as abscess or appendicitis.
The attack rate for the year for puerperal fever and pyrexia
was 23.9 per 1.000 total births, as compared with a rate of 14.42 in
England and Wales.
The services of the Council's Consultant Obstetricians were
required by general practitioners on four occasions during the year.
Influenzal Pneumonia and Pneumonia.—There were 6 cases
of influenzal pneumonia and 179 of primary pneumonia notified.
As provided in the Regulations, where the nursing was found to
be inadequate, a nurse was sent from the Hackney District Nursing
Association. During the year 63 cases were nursed and 1,348 visits
were paid to those cases. Influenza, unless complicated by
pneumonia, is not notifiable.
Erysipelas.—There were 105 cases of erysipelas notified during
1938. One of the patients notified was found after admission to
hospital not to be suffering from an infectious disease. The actual
number of cases occurring in the Borough during the year was,
therefore, 104. This is equal to an attack-rate of 0.50 per 1,000
inhabitants, compared with 0.40 for England and Wales. Of the
cases notified, 70 were removed to hospital.
There were 6 deaths certified to be due to erysipelas.
Cerebrospinal Meningitis.—During 1938 there were 8 cases of
this disease notified in the Borough. All the cases were removed
to hospital. Three deaths from this disease occurred during the
year.