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
Clerkenwell 1900
Report on the public health and sanitary condition of the Parish of Clerkenwell [West Division, Borough of Finsbury] for the year 1900
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everything belonging to the patient should be disinfected or destroyed.
Dolls, playthings, articles of child's clothing belonging to the
patient, etc., should not be hidden away in dark boxes, cupboards,
or drawers, until after the disinfector's visit, and then brought
out again for the other children. But these things should
be as thoroughly disinfected as the room itself or as the
sheets and blankets. This is one of the many occasions
when the parents and friends of the patient can assist the Sanitary
Authority in its work, instead of by concealment effectually checkmate
the usefulness of disinfection.*
Diphtheria.—It is satisfactory again to be able to report a
further decline in the incidence and death-rate of Diphtheria. There
were 116 cases of the disease notified (as against 195 in 1899)
during the year
The age incidence of Diphtheria for 1900 is shown in the following table: —
| Ages in Years | Under 1 | 1-5 | 5-15 | 15-25 | 25-65 | 65- | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Notified Cases. | 4 | 48 | 41 | 17 | 6 | — | 116 | ||
Of the total of 116 cases of Diphtheria 16 occurred in males and
55 in females
*It would be possible to furnish numerous cases in Clerkenwell where
the neglect of these simple precautions has resulted in spread of infection. Two
examples may suffice:—A. N. aged 9, H. N. aged 4, F. N. aged 6, were notified
on September nth, as suffering from Scarlet Fever. They were removed to
hospital. The rooms, bedding, etc., were duly disinfected. "The toys and books
[of these three children] were the only things left undisinfected," as the mother
"thought that infection was only retained by clothes." Stanley N. aged 8, played
with the toys and books, some of the toys having been particularly bequeathed
to him by the other children on their departure to the hospital. He sickened
with Scarlet Fever and was notified on November 7th. The mother attributed
his infection to the toys and they were destroyed when he went to hospital. He
had not been in the way of any other infection. Another case: R. M. aged 3,
and E. M. aged 7, were notified as suffering from Scarlet Fever on August 20th.
Their toys were also left undisinfected and D. M. aged 8, used them, and was
notified with Scarlet Fever on September 4th. There was no other apparent
source of infection.