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 1900
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for West Ham]
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15
symptoms of illness, several cases were obtained in which children
who were apparently sufficiently ill to cause remark on the part of the
parent, and who, in the light of the subsequent illness, were possibly a
danger to their schoolmates, were yet allowed to go to school. These
cases would not be likely to attract the attention of the school teacher,
but were none the less a potent source of evil.
As a further instance of the way in which Diphtheria may be
spread through unrecognized cases and in the earlier stages of the
disease, I may point out the time which sometimes elapses between
the date of attack and the time when notification of the disease is
received. Out of 1,200 cases of Diphtheria, the number of days
elapsing between the alleged onset of the illness and the receipt of the
As a further instance of the way in which Diphtheria may be spread through unrecognized cases and in the earlier stages of the disease, I may point out the time which sometimes elapses between the date of attack and the time when notification of the disease is received. Out of 1,200 cases of Diphtheria, the number of days elapsing between the alleged onset of the illness and the receipt of the notification certificate is shown in the following table:—
| No. of days between attack and notitication. | No. of cases. | No. of days between attack and notification. | No. of. cases. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 131 | 12 | 5 |
| 2 | 295 | 13 | 7 |
| 3 | 294 | 14 | 3 |
| 4 | 229 | 15 | 1 |
| 5 | 132 | 16 | 2 |
| 6 | 61 | 17 | 2 |
| 1 | 53 | 18 | 3 |
| 8 | 15 | 19 | — |
| 9 | 13 | 20 | — |
| 10 | 5 | 21 | 4 |
| 11 | 4 | 22 | 1 |