HC Deb 24 June 1941 vol 372 cc963-4W
Mr. Leach

asked the Minister of Health whether Table 28 in the Registrar-General's Report for the year 1938, refers only to cases of infectious diseases, notified, or whether the figures have been corrected to allow for wrong diagnosis, in view of the fact that from 20 to 45 per cent. of cases notified as diphtheria are subsequently re-diagnosed?

Mr. E. Brown

The record of notifications appearing in the Registrar-General's publication is based on returns received weekly from each local Medical Officer of Health. The form on which the weekly return is made includes a space for the amendment of provisional or erroneous notifications in previous returns. The published record relates to notifications as amended under this arrangement. In practice the number of corrections brought to notice in this way is relatively small and is in no way indicative of the scale of re-diagnosis suggested in the question.