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
Hampstead 1910
Report for the year 1910 of the Medical Officer of Health
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46
The number of cases of this disease notified in 1910, viz., 48, was
smaller than the corresponding number in any previous year except
1909. That the number of cases in 1910 was larger than in 1909 was
due in some measure to the fact that in the former year the Council
greatly extended the facilities of medical practitioners for obtaining the
bacteriological examination of specimens from patients suspected to be
suffering from diphtheria. The number of specimens examined was
largely increased in 1910, and no doubt this brought to light cases that
otherwise would have gone undiscovered. The total number of specimens
examined was 51, of which 18 gave a positive and 33 a negative result.
The following figures show the number of cases of diphtheria in Hampstead each year since 1890, the year in which the disease first became notifiable.
| Year. | No. of cases notified. | Year. | No of cases notified. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 96 | 1901 | 142 |
| 1891 | 88 | 1902 | 85 |
| 1892 | 136 | 1903 | 79 |
| 1893 | 158 | 1904 | 55 |
| 1894 | 96 | 1905 | 63 |
| 1895 | 112 | 1906 | 97 |
| 1896 | 189 | 1907 | 103 |
| 1897 | 100 | 1908 | 55 |
| 1898 | 131 | 1909 | 33 |
| 1899 | 106 | 1910 | 48 |
| 1900 | 153 |
The decrease becomes more apparent when, instead of the number of cases, the attack-rate, or proportion of cases notified per 1000 population, is taken, as in the following table:—
| Years. | No. of cases notified per 1000 population. |
|---|---|
| 1890—94 | 1.61 |
| 1895—99 | 1.63 |
| 1900—04 | 1.22 |
| 1905—09 | 0.77 |
| 1910 | 0.50 |
In August, 1910, the Local Government Board made an Order, the
Diphtheria Anti-toxin (London) Order, 1910, empowering London
sanitary authorities to arrange for the supply of anti-toxin and of
medical assistance in connection therewith for the poorer inhabitants of
the district. In accordance with this Order the Council obtained a