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
Wimbledon 1895
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wimbledon]
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The following are the cases of Infectious Diseases admitted during each month of the year.
| Diseases. | January. | February | March. | April | May. | June. | July. | August. | September. | October. | November. | December. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small pox | *1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| Scarlet fever | 2 | 1 | ... | 1 | 2 | 16 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 45 | |
| Diphtheria | 1 | 2 | 5 | ... | ... | 4 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 27 | |
| Total | 3 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 17 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 73 |
N.B.—* Admitted as Small Pox. but considered by the Medical Officer to be
Chicken Pox.
As the Disinfecting Chamber had got out of order, the infected
bedding and clothing were sent to a private disinfector, while the
necessary repairs were being carried out.
The following Table shows the number of Articles disinfected after each disease.
| Diseases. | Mattresses. | Palliases. | Beds. | Pillows and Bolsters. | Blankets. | Dresses. | Suits. | Other Articles. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet fever | 12 | ... | 55 | 123 | 77 | 6 | 14 | 130 | 417 |
| Diphtheria | 9 | 1 | 32 | 64 | 44 | 2 | 9 | 110 | 27! |
| Erysipelas | 2 | ... | ... | 6 | ... | ... | ... | 11 | 19 |
| Membranous Croup | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | 24 | 24 |
| Total | 23 | i | 87 | 193 | 121 | 8 | 23 | 275 | 721 |
The number of rooms disinfected was 87. A cab was disinfected
after it had been used for the conveyance of an infected
case.