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 1910
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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36
MEASLES.
and goods. With a disease liable to frequent epidemic outburst, it is always risky to be too
confident about the results apparently following active intervention. Moreover, seven years'
experience is hardly sufficient for the purpose of drawing conclusions as to the value of such
work, but it may be permissible to submit the following comparison of the mortality from
this disease during the seven years before and after the present system of supervision was
inaugurated, as some evidence that such supervision has not been altogether unavailing.
Mean rate. Maximum. Minimum.
1897-1902 0.30 0.79 071
1904-1910 0.28 0.49 0 11
The reduction of the mean rate* may not be thought to be of any significance, but taken
in conjunction with the reduction in the "swing of the pendulum," it does, it is submitted, point
to some benefit having accrued. It must not be forgotten that when the present system was
initiated, the Department was to a certain extent working in the dark, and even now it is
felt that much has to be learned before the best results can be secured.†
The usual comparisons of nett rates in the Borough, and the circumjacent districts are
given in Table 10, and those of the corrected rates in Table 27. They are included for the
sake of continuity rather than for the value of the information which they convey. The nett
mortality rates for the Wards of the Borough are given in Table 28.
TABLE 27. Corrected Rates.
| Locality. | Measles. | Whooping Cough. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Rate. | Corrected Rates. | Standard Rate. | Corrected Rates. | |||
| 1910. | 1905-09. | 1910. | 1905-09. | |||
| Paddington | 0.43 | 0.58 | 0.39 | 0.27 | ||
| London | 0.58 | 0.41 | 0.50 | 0.07 | ||
| Kensington | 0.47 | 0.36 | 0.35 | 0.24 | ||
| Westminster | 0.36 | 0.19 | 0.31 | 0.18 | ||
| Marylebone | 0.42 | 0.30 | 0.36 | 0.47 | ||
| Hampstead | 0.40 | 0.23 | 0.34 | 0.16 | ||
| Willesden | 0.66 | 0.16 | 0.57 | 0.15 | ||
*If 1903 be counted as a year when supervision was being exercised (which was not exactly the case, as the
machinery was incomplete and lacking in experience), the difference in the mean rates is more favourable to the
argument submitted. For the eight years 1903-10, the mean rate was 0.28, while that for the eight years preceding
1903 was 0.35.
†What has been written above is to be regarded as tentative only. Before a definite opinion can be formed
as to the utility of the measures adopted, much statistical work is necessary to compare the experience of this
with that of other Boroughs. Some material has already been collected for this purpose, but certain
ecessary data will not be available until the results of the approaching census have been published.