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
Finsbury 1914
Annual report on the public health of Finsbury for the year 1914
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The particulars of cases in previous years are appended :— Diphtheria, 1901-1914.
| Year. | No. of Cases. | No. of Deaths. | Case Mortality. No of Deaths per 100 cases notified. | No. of Cases per 10,000 of Population. | No. of Deaths per 10,000 of Population. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 289 | 36 | 12.5 | 28.5 | 3.5 |
| 1902 | 216 | 37 | 17.1 | 21.6 | |
| 1903 | 12 | 10.1 | 12.0 | ||
| 1904 | 123 | 14 | 11.4 | 12.6 | 1.4 |
| 1905 | 126 | 11 | 8.7 | 13.1 | 1.1 |
| 1906 | 151 | 25 | 16.5 | 15.9 | 2.6 |
| 1907 | 127 | 15 | 11.8 | 13.6 | 1.6 |
| 1908 | 130 | 16 | 12.3 | 14.1 | 1.7 |
| 1909 | 152 | 13 | 8.5 | 16.8 | 1.4 |
| 1910 | 126 | 19 | 15 1 | 14.I | 2.1 |
| 1911 | 159 | 17 | 10.7 | l8.l | 1.9 |
| 1912 | 148 | 14 | 9.4 | 17.1 | 1.6 |
| 1913 | 91 | 9 | 9.8 | 10.7 | 1.06 |
| 1914 | 134 | 9 | 6.7 | 16.1 | 1.08 |
All the eases were investigated, and the source, if possible, was
ascertained. The premises were inspected and notices served for
sanitary defects. The drains were carefully examined, and in
nearly every case tested. In only five houses were they found to
be defective.
Presumed Sources of Infection. In 10 instances the disease
was contracted from known, missed, or unrecognised cases in the
members of the patient's family. Four patients caught the
disease in hospital after they had been admitted suffering from
diseases other than diphtheria. These are called cross infections
and occur when a patient is being treated in hospital for one
disease, say, measles, or pneumonia, and oontracts another
disease, e.g., scarlet fever or diphtheria from some other hospital