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
Holborn 1909
Report for the year 1909 of the Medical Officer of Health
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Whole Borough.
| Year. | Small-pox. | Measles. | Scarlet Fever. | Diphtheria. | Whooping Cough. | Enteric Fever. | Diarrhoea. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1899 | – | 27 | 3 | 9 | 13 | 11 | 56 | 119 |
| 1900 | – | 31 | 7 | 13 | 23 | 9 | 45 | 128 |
| 1901 | 30 | 22 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 42 | 133 |
| 1902 | 46 | 30 | 8 | 11 | 27 | 6 | 14 | 142 |
| 1903 | – | 17 | 4 | 7 | 15 | 5 | 22 | 70 |
| 1904 | 2 | 43 | – | 7 | 8 | 4 | 35 | 99 |
| 1905 | – | 11 | 3 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 22 | 59 |
| 1908 | – | 25 | 2 | 7 | 10 | 1 | 39 | 84 |
| 1907 | – | 13 | 3 | 10 | 27 | 2 | 16 | 71 |
| 1908 | – | 10 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 26 | 58 |
| Average for 10 years 1899-1908. | 7.8 | 22.9 | 3.9 | 8.7 | 15.5 | 68 | 31.7 | 96.3 |
| 1909 | – | 14 | 3 | 3 | 15 | 1 | 7 | 43 |
MEASLES.
Measles, although more prevalent than in the year 1908, was again much
less prevalent than in the year 1906. We received information of 139 cases in
comparison with 86 in 1908, and 370 in 1906. The schools principally affected
were St. Giles and Princeton Street.
Of the 139 cases notified, 15 were found not to be suffering from measles.
In 95 other cases in which inquiries were made, it was found that 81 were
attending school, 14 were under school age, and 3 of these contracted measles
from other children in the family attending school. In only 17 cases was there
no doctor in attendance. Fifty-six cases occurred in tenements of only one or
two rooms. There were only 14 deaths in comparison with a decennial average
of 23. Of these 3 belonged to St. Giles and Bloomsbury and 11 to the Holborn
District.
During the year the Education Department of the London County Council
excluded all the unprotected children from certain classes, in the Infants'
Department, of the undermentioned schools from and up to the dates specified:—
Wild Street, Class E—18th February to 1st March.
Do. do. 29th April to 7th May.
Princeton Street, Class A—5th May to 18th May.
Saffron Hill, Class A—11th May to 18th May.
Tower Street, Class A—17th May to 25th May.
Bosebery Avenue, Class B—26th May to 1st June.
St. George-the-Martyr, Class C—30th June to 7th July.
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