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
Islington 1927
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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29
1927
PREVENTION OF INFECTION.
Notification, Isolation, Fatality, of Specified Diseases under the
Provisions of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891.
The Principal Diseases Include :
Small Pox, Diphtheria, Scarlet Fever, Enteric Fever, Typhus Fever,
Puerperal Fever and Erysipelas.
1,813 cases of the principal diseases which are notifiable under the Public
Health (London) Act, 1891, came to the knowledge of the Medical Officer of
Health. This number does not include other communicable ailments, which are
also notifiable. The complete list of infectious diseases which are notifiable in
Islington will be found on page 33.
The total cases notified are 105 less than those of the previous year (1,918),
and 452 below the average (2,265) of the preceding ten years. The decreases
when contrasted with the decennial averages are to be found in the returns from
Small Pox, Diphtheria, Scarlet Fever, Enteric Fever and Continued Fever, which
were respectively 1,195,263.5 and 1 below the average, while the other diseases
all showed a slight increase.
The 1,813 cases were equal to an attack-rate of 5.42 per 1,000 of the civil
population.
The returns for the preceding ten years are given in the following statements :—
| Year. | Cases. | Attack-rates per 1,000 civil population. |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | 1,251 | 4.21 |
| 1918 | 1,127 | 3.93 |
| 1919 | 1,993 | 6.05 |
| 1920 | 2,853 | 8.49 |
| 1921 | 4,344 | 13.05 |
| 1922 | 2,787 | 8.34 |
| 1923 | 2,096 | 6.22 |
| 1924 | 2,085 | 6.06 |
| 1925 | 2,194 | 6.47 |
| 1926 | 1,918 | 5.65 |
| 10 years average 2,265 | 6.94 | |
| 1927 1,813 | 5.42 | |
Registration Sub-Districts.—The total number of cases notified in these
districts was as follows :—
Total cases notified.
Tufnell 182
Upper Holloway 168
Tollington 157
Lower Holloway 258
Highbury 216
Barnsbury 365
Islington South-East 467
Total 1,813
SMALLPOX.
No case was notified during the year.
Diphtheria was responsible for 720 cases of illness, which were (195) below
the average (914) of the preceding ten years. The attack rate was equal to 2.15
per 1,000 of the civil population annually, and was 0.65 below the mean rate (2.80)
of the decennial period.
In London the attack-rate was 2.70 per 1,000, and the Encircling Boroughs
2.47.