London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Battersea 1909
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1909
This page requires JavaScript
28
Notifiable Infectious Diseases.
During 1909, under the Notification Clauses of the Public
Health (London) Act, 1891, 1,189 cases of infectious diseases have
been reported, and of this number 1,020 (i.e., 85.7 per cent.) were
removed to hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board or to
other hospitals, and 169 (i.e., 14.3 per cent.) remained under treatment
at their homes. It is satisfactory to note the continued high
percentage of cases of infectious disease removed to isolation
hospitals, a matter of great importance in a district such as Battersea,
where, owing to the density of the population and the
absence of means of adequate isolation, the difficulty of checking
the spread of epidemics is considerable.
Examining the removals to hospitals more in detail (e.g., nature of disease) it is seen that during 1909, in the Borough of Battersea, the following are the percentages:—
| Scarlet fever | 97.0 |
| Diphtheria and membranous croup | 94.7 |
| Enteric fever | 87.5 |
| Erysipelas | 21.1 |
| Puerperal fever | 64.2 |
The number of cases notified in the three sub-districts of the Borough and the proportion per 1,000 of the population are as follows:—
| Total number of cases certified. | Notification per 1,000 of the population. | |
|---|---|---|
| The Borough | 1,189 | 6.3 |
| East Battersea | 585 | 7.5 |
| North-West Battersea | 348 | 7.0 |
| South-West Battersea | 256 | 4.3 |
The total number of cases of notifiable infectious diseases reported
during 1909 shows a considerable decrease, as compared
with 1908, being no less than 446 fewer in number.
No case of small-pox was notified during 1909 in Battersea.
The total amount paid to medical practitioners as fees for
notification of infectious diseases in Battersea during 1909 was
£177 17s. 0d. This amount includes fees paid for notification of
cases of phthisis both for voluntary notification and notification
under the Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations.
There was a decrease in the number of notifications of scarlet
fever during 1909, viz., 36 per cent., as compared with 1908, and
28 per cent, below the average for the ten years 1891-1900. The
702 cases occurred in 551 houses, and in 65 of these sanitary
defects were found.