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36
Precautions were taken to prevent the spread of the
disease, all the occupants of 9 Severus Road being quarantined
in their home and kept under medical inspection. Vaccination
of all contacts was carried out, as well as other routine precautionary
measures, and no further case occurred amongst
any of the three families living in the house.
During the year 1919 several "suspect" cases were referred
to me by medical practitioners for investigation, but no
further cases of small-pox occurred in the Borough during the
year.
Scarlet Fever.
484 cases of scarlet fever were notified in Battersea during
1919, as compared with 246 in 1918. The case-rate per
1,000 of the population was 3'04, and three deaths were regis
tered from the disease in the Borough, giving a death-rate per
1,000 population of 0.02. Of the 484 cases notified 454 (i.e.,
94 were cent.) were removed to hospital.
Diphtheria.
The number of cases of diphtheria (including membranous
croup) notified during 19.19 was 229, as compared with 215
in 1918. The number of cases notified per 1,000 of the
population was 1.44, as compared with 1.43 in 1918.
Twenty deaths were registered from the disease in the
Borough, giving a fatality-rate of 013 per 1,000 of the
population, as against 015 in 1918.
Of the 229 cases notified in Battersea 217 (i.e., 95 per
cent.) were removed to hospital.
Some difficulty was experienced in the autumn of the
year in securing the removal of cases of infectious diseases to
the Metropolitan Asylums Board's Hospitals, owing to several
of the Board's hospitals being still retained by the Military
Authorities, and also to the difficulty experienced in obtaining
additions to the nursing and domestic staff required through the
introduction of the 48-hour week. Priority of admission was
given to those cases most urgently needing hospital treatment..
In view of the difficulty created and the particular circumstances
of a working-class district like Battersea, urgent
representations were made to the managers by the Council
In order to minimise the risk incidental to the delay in the
removal of cases, the medical men practising in Battersea were
advised that the most urgent cases would receive priority for
admission to hospital, and, at the same time, informed that
anti-toxin would be supplied to them free at any hour of the
day or night on application.