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
Kensington 1906
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health 1906
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Diphtheria in Kensington, 1896.1906.
| Year. | Cases Notified. | Case rate per 1,000 of population. | Deaths. | Death rate per 1,000 of population. | Case Mortality per cent. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896 | 371 | 2.18 | 72 | 0.42 | 19.4 |
| 1897 | 332 | 1.94 | 82 | 0.48 | 24.7 |
| 1898 | 222 | 1.29 | 26 | 0.15 | 11.7 |
| 1899 | 257 | 1.49 | 42 | 0.24 | 16.3 |
| 1900 | 332 | 1.92 | 27 | 016 | 8.1 |
| 1901 | 250 | 1.41 | 38 | 0.21 | 15.2 |
| 1902 | 184 | 1.04 | 20 | 0.11 | 10.9 |
| 1903 | 158 | 0.90 | 24 | 0.13 | 15.2 |
| 1904 | 186 | 1.04 | 17 | 0.09 | 9.1 |
| 1905 | 125 | 0.70 | 9 | 0.05 | 7.2 |
WHOOPING.COUGH.
Whooping.cough was the cause of 20 deaths, compared with 90, 19, and 60, in the preceding
three years; all in the Town sub.district; the corrected decennial average being 53. Fifteen of the
deaths were of children under 2 years of age, 11 of them in the first year. Between 2.3 years
and 3.4 years the deaths numbered 2 and 3 respectively. The mortality rate was 0.11 per 1,000
of the population. The deaths in 13 four.weekly periods are set out in the table at page 16.
The Lady Sanitary Inspectors, who commenced, in June, 1905, a systematic visitation of
cases of whooping.cough reported by school teachers, continued the work throughout the past
year. The cases so reported numbered 111, other 61 cases being found in the houses visited—
making a total of 172. All but 2 of the cases occurred in North Kensington, including
152 in three wards: St. Charles 29, Norland 68, and Golborne 55. Of the sufferers 115 were
under five years of age—including 23 under one year—and 54 between 5.10 years. The Inspectors'
report continues: "We were pleased to find much greater care being taken of the little sufferers
than when we first visited such cases: a doctor being called in much more frequently than last
year. A leaflet distributed at each infected house calling attention to the serious nature of the
disease was gratefully accepted."
The deaths from whooping.cough in London as a whole were 1,266, and 692 below the
corrected decennial average. The mortality rate was 0.26 per 1,000 of the population.
FEVER.
The notified cases of Enteric Fever were thirty.eight in number, compared with 61, 46,
and 49, in the preceding three years. The deaths were 5 (10 below the corrected decennial average),
4 of them belonging to the Town sub.district. Four of the deaths took place in hospitals, to which
26 cases were removed. The deaths from this cause in the preceding three years were 9, 6,
and 13, respectively. The mortality rate was 0.3 per 1,000 of the population. The localities of
notifications and deaths, respectively, are set out in Tables XI. and XII. at p.p. 131 and 134; the
deaths in four.weekly periods in the table at page 16. In a few of the cases there was ground
for suspicion that the illness had been caused by the eating of shell.fish.