Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham]
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which he has sent to the Metropolitan Asylums' Board, a
this has occurred while he has been asking for the removed
of other cases where it was specially necessary that the
person suffering should be treated at a hospital.
The Medical Officer for St. George-the-Martyr states
“There is reason to suspect that cases which might ha
been fairly isolated at home have gained entry in the
Asylum Hospitals to the exclusion of members of familiar
living in one or two rooms, often situated in large bloc???
buildings.''
From this it is pretty clear that with the existing method
"the best selection possible" is by no means attained, b??
the Managers apparently wish to maintain a position ???
autocratic independence of the Sanitary Authorities.
Return Cases.
In 9 instances the disease occurred within 10 days o??
the return of another member of the family from the
Hospital after a similar attack. The occurrence of these
"return" cases has attracted considerable attention of late
and in June last I submitted a return, to the Vestry, of the
cases of Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria that occurred in
houses, in Fulham. within ten days of the return home of a
discharged patient from one of the Hospitals of the
Metropolitan Asylums' Board, between January 1st, 1894,
and May 15th, 1895, giving particulars of 33 cases.
A report of a Sub-Committee of the Asylums Board,
appointed to inquire into the matter, was issued towards the
end of the year.
As the result of their consideration of the whole question,
the Committee have arrived at the following conclusions:—
(a) That there is no evidence to show that any
appreciable number of patients admitted to the Board's
Hospitals during the past two years have contracted
infection from patients previously discharged therefrom.
The distribution of the cases was as under
Population in 1891. | Cases. | Deaths. | |
---|---|---|---|
Barons Court Ward | 12,051 | 23 | 0 |
Hurlingham „ | 3,710 | 15 | 0 |
Lillie „ | 16,096 | 47 | 5 |
Margravine „ | 13,592 | 79 | 4 |
Munster „ | 10,295 | 52 | 5 |
bands End „ | 11,740 | 46 | 2 |
Town | 8,524 | 24 | 1 |
Walham ,, | 4,525 | 53 | 4 |
339 | 21 |