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
Paddington 1903
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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small-pox.
15
SMALL-POX.
| Borough. | London. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903. | 1902. | 1903. | 1902 | |
| Cases | 5 | 110 | 417 | 7,798 |
| Deaths | — | 20 | 13 | 1,314 |
| *Morbidity | 0.03 | 0.73 | 0.09 | 1.70 |
| †Fatalitv | — | 18.1 | 3.1 | 16.8 |
| ‡Mortality | — | 0.12 | 0.00 | 0.28 |
* Case-rate per 1,000 persons of all ages. † Deaths per 100 cases. ‡ Death-rate per 1,000 persons of all ages.
ing here and there small epidemics. The totals reported in the Metropolis and the provinces* during the last two years are given below:—
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Whole year. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 1903 | 1902 | 1903 | 1902 | 1903 | 1902 | 1903' | 1902 | 1903 | 1902 | |
| Metropolis | ... | 38 | 4,481 | 162 | 2,934 | 121 | 359 | 96 | 43 | 417 | 7,817† |
| Provinces | ... | 2,112 | 1,843 | 3,210 | 2,171 | 1,424 | 622 | 691 | 1,529 | 7,437 | 6,165 |
As regards local returns, the 5 cases reported last year were 23 (82 per cent.) below the
decennial average, and 22 below the averages (27 in each case) for the two quinquennial
periods. Further comparisons are instituted below:—
Small-pox.
| Averages. Corrected and adjusted. A. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1903 | 1893-97 | 1898-1902 | 1893-1902 | |
| Borough | 5 | 27 | 27 | 28 |
| St. Mary | 3 | 22 | 21 | 22 |
| St. John | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| North-West Paddington | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
Last year's cases in the Metropolis were 1,134 less than the average, a reduction of
73 per cent.
Of the five cases reported, one (f. æt. 30) was erroneously diagnosed, proving to be a
case of chicken-pox. This case did not go to hospital. Of the remaining four (all removed
to hospital) two were clearly due to infection acquired outside the Borough, the patients
arriving here within the period of incubation. One patient was a tramp (m. æt. 57) who
was removed from a common lodging house in Kilburn Lane, where he arrived on April 3rd,
on which day he sickened. His movements during the preceding fortnight were traced, and
the medical officers of health of the various districts duly advised thereon. The other case
was a groom out of work (m. æt. 37) who arrived in London on April 30th, and sickened on
May 10th. During the interval he visited Haslemere in Surrev.
* The figures are based on returns made weekly to the Local Government Board from certain boroughs and
urban districts in the provinces representing a total population of 14,504,425 at the Census of 1901.
† The total (19 in excess of that given higher up) is not fully corrected for duplicate notifications, &c.