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Remembered Today:

Disease code numbers - Hospital admission books


John(txic)

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Whilst researching one of the lads on Dudley's war memorial, I came across him in the Admission Book of No. 28 General Hospital (via FMP).

 

The various diseases suffered all seem to have a code number applied - Pte Smith seems to be suffering from No. 499.

 

I have two questions: can anyone read what he is suffering from, as the handwriting has defeated me?   Secondly - has anyone a list of the code numbers?  Was this peculiar to No. 28 General Hospital?

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Looks like Dyspepsia to me. Can’t help with the code numbers I’m afraid. 

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The code numbers appear across many of the books and as far as I know were added by the Medical Research Committe for their statistical work.

I've never seen a list of ailment codes but they have come up on the forum before.

TEW

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I'm with Michelle on Dyspepsia (indigestion). The loop of the p has been made separately from the downstroke and detached from it, while the s is the script version for use in the middle or end of words that I was taught in the 1960s.

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I have found wound codes

but not disease codes yet.

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Thanks!

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19 hours ago, John(txic) said:

The various diseases suffered all seem to have a code number applied - Pte Smith seems to be suffering from No. 499.

I have two questions: can anyone read what he is suffering from, as the handwriting has defeated me?   Secondly - has anyone a list of the code numbers? 

Agree with Dyspepsia

Might it be possible to post a larger abstract so we can consider the other entries/codes please?

M

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Your wish is my command.... within reason.:hypocrite:

 

 

28th General Hospital.jpg

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8 minutes ago, John(txic) said:

Your wish is my command.... within reason.:hypocrite:

How unreasonable!

Thanks.  Certainly looks like they are recognised codes as the numbers and descriptions do repeat and numbers look contemporaneous with the description = Guess you have a new project to list them for our delectation :whistle: Let your scribing begin.

BTW I have a list of MoP Classification of Disabilities Code No. 0-51 [FYI MoP Code No. 33, Other Diseases of the Alimentary System would seem to apply] - but I guess a bit soon to apply in a General Hospital !!!

M

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Yes, the handwriting is definitely the same, isn't it?

 

Also, this is the only example I have yet come across showing code numbers against diseases - has anyone else?

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21 minutes ago, John(txic) said:

Also, this is the only example I have yet come across showing code numbers against diseases - has anyone else?

Can't help with your question but I note the book makes reference: according to the classification on the fly-leaf - guess you need to see if you can find a copy of that fly-leaf.

And that the book/page is stamped Medical Research Council, Statistical Department - Somebody must have been compiling stats at some date.

M

Edited by Matlock1418
typo
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Might be worth checking it against my medical bibliography pinned at the head of this subforum? I have provided links to scanned versions where possible.

I'd do it myself but am going to Gloucester today and lots else to do.

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They're certainly not unique to this book or 28 GH. I have seen the codes in various A&D books,

Other examples from MH106/1792, in this case it looks like the codes and extra descriptions were added later.

1792.jpg.efe5ad67ee315b7052c28d10766863ab.jpg

 

And another from MH106/1772, this time written in red.

1772.jpg.aa9319728c2b455a1e592a3b885acf8d.jpg

 

There are also books where it looks like the ailment/wound was added later, I've also seen some with that column written in pencil and then rubbed out and an ink (in a different hand) version added. MH106/1 below.

001.jpg.f34660f5589be79bc62ec9165dbfd613.jpg

 

Jury's out for me regarding the OP's example, see below. The 2 of 293 does not look like the 2 of 26, 22 or 25. The two 37 entries are similar but exact?

Not sure if the same codes are used in WO364 records. Plenty of work for someone!!

Sweetingham.jpg.9274b4250260d245a4858d97123e1f8a.jpg

TEW

 

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On 11/10/2022 at 16:57, John(txic) said:

has anyone a list of the code numbers?

Please do let us know if you discover one/what they all are.

M

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On 12/10/2022 at 13:10, Matlock1418 said:

And that the book/page is stamped Medical Research Council, Statistical Department - Somebody must have been compiling stats at some date.

The Medical Research Council started to oversee the registration & reference actions formerly undertaken by the Army Medical Statistical Dept in the1920/21 year when the role was moved to the MoP. The Medical Research Committee was renamed to the Council in April 1920 so anything marked with the stamp is post-April 1920.

Craig

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3 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said:

The Medical Research Council started to oversee the registration & reference actions formerly undertaken by the Army Medical Statistical Dept in the1920/21 year when the role was moved to the MoP. The Medical Research Committee was renamed to the Council in April 1920 so anything marked with the stamp is post-April 1920.

The book and its entries or the stamp?

The stamp I can understand being post April 1920 - but what about the book above?

M

Edited by Matlock1418
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1 minute ago, Matlock1418 said:

The book and its entries or the stamp?

The stamp I can understand being post April 1920 - but what about the book above?

M

The stamp. The book is before that - it however shows that it was in the hands of the statistics bods, who just love to classify things.

Craig

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Just now, ss002d6252 said:

The stamp. The book is before that - it however shows that it was in the hands of the statistics bods, who just love to classify things.

Agreed - so when do you think that code 499 [for Dyspepsia] was added?

And where is the list of such codes - we would like to know what they all were.

M

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I'd put my money on it being the work started by the Army Statistics Branch (which had a varied role that included extracting records for the MoP).

1919/20 Annual Report of the MRC. Note the second paragraph.
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Craig

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10 minutes ago, Matlock1418 said:

Agreed - so when do you think that code 499 [for Dyspepsia] was added?

Post the books being handed over the ASD/MRC. When they were handed over I don't know. Only once the war was over or after a certain time retention period during the war ?

Craig

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Further information suggests that there had been little progress by May 1919 on the statistical information being gathered but 20 million records had been compiled for MoP use. Some major statistics had been pulled together. By December 1921 a card index had been completed so that statistical data could be compiled - this, to make it easier to compile stats, was limited to around 50 main groupings and the rest would be more generic  (likely the MoP ones used in their figures).

The final 23 million card analysis was later abandoned and only 500,000 were fully analysed.

I think the figures in the registers were clearly used for the compilation of the record cards (what a missing resource !) but as to the full code list, that's not yet apparent. It seems clear though that wounds used a list that probably pre-dated the disease codes.

Craig

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30 minutes ago, ss002d6252 said:

Post the books being handed over the ASD/MRC. When they were handed over I don't know.

Got to admit that though I originally thought the codes were contemporaneous with the other descriptive entries for diseases/conditions I now think the ink was deceptive and like you would believe they were added later.

Interesting to note the Medical Research Committee Statistical Department mentioned in your previous post - described here https://www.ukri.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/MRC-120122-halfacenturyofmedicalresearch.pdf seems to have been set up as a response to the National Insurance Act 1911 [amended 1913] - which, provided I've quickly read/interpreted the Act correctly, had a particular elements specifically relating to the public treatment of Tuberculosis, which was a pre-war public scourge [and a military/post-military problem much disussed here on GWF!]

(4) Statistical Department This will mainly consist of persons in the permanent employment of the scheme who will be engaged in enquiries relating to diet, occupation, habits of life and other matters bearing upon the incidence of disease, and who will collect and deal with all types of vital statistics including the distribution of disease, the relative frequency of special types of lesions in diseases such as Tuberculosis, and in general with all statistical investigations useful either as preliminary to research or confirmatory of its results. It will possibly have to consider and advise how the statistical material provided for under the Insurance Act should be dealt with. It is hoped that when the scheme is in actual work there may become associated herewith a Bureau through which those engaged in research unconnected with the scheme or otherwise working on kindred questions may be able to obtain information, references to special publications and other help of a like nature

M

 

Edited by Matlock1418
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If we look at the statistics books of the Medical History, these used compiled stats, so I think we have a starting point to reverse engineer the list (something I find myself seemingly doing a lot).

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Craig

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An example can be seen where the codes have been added on 0 scabies is oddd in that it uses a 2 part code 82 (154).

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Craig

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As a quick list - there does seem to be some rough correlation appearing (pardon my spelling).

2   Dysentry
4   Beri-Beri
18   Rose measels
21   Influenza
34   PUO
37   Rheumatism
124   Epilepsy
128   Headache
166   Conjunctivitis
172   Corneal Ulcer
239   Blepharitis 
293   VDH
303   Heart strain
339   Odema
404   Bronchitis
425   Pleurisy
436   Stomatitis
475   Tonsilitis
489   Gastritis
492   Stomach haemorrhage
506   Vomiting
510   Gastralgia
511   Enteritis
528   Hernia
540   Diarrhoea
541   Constipation
556   Piles
575   Jaundice
757   Orchitis
903   Synovitis
931   Lumbago
931   Myalgia
944   Abscess
952   ICT
952   Psoriasis
962   Eczema
964   Impetigo
965   Boils
970   Herpes
971   Shingles
973   Dermatitis
1023   Ulcer
1092   Skull fracture
1219   Contusion
1220   Sprain
1669   Trachoma
82 (154)   Scabies
82 (39)   Ringworm



Craig

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