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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infantile mortality. 51
districts, but the recurrence of the same rate in three successive years, if it be merely
a coincidence, is a remarkable one. In spite of the fact that 15 deaths were recorded during
the third quarter among children whose illness was not reported during the patients' life, it is
surmised that the fatality rate given here (viz., 3 per cent.) is not very far from the truth.
I wo other points of interest remain for mention, (a) the frequency of relapses and (b)
that of multiple cases in the invaded houses. Among the 100 patients under 2 vears of age
there were ten who had relapses of the disease after an apparent recovery, and in 19 houses
two or more attacks of "diarrhœa" were reported to have occurred during the term covered
by the investigations. The recorded facts connected with each group of events can be best
given in tabular form. (See below).
Relapses.
| m. | 2/12 | Onset | 10, vii. | Apparent recovery | 22, vii. | relapse | 26, viii. | final recovery | 18, x. |
| M. | 1 | „ | 9, viii. | „ | 12, viii. | „ | 8, ix. | „ | 21, x. |
| M. | 1 1/12 | „ | 22, ix. | „ | 25, ix. | „ | 28, ix. | „ | 20, x. |
| M. | 3/12 | „ | 19, viii. | „ | 3, ix. | „ | 11, ix. | „ | 20, ix. |
| m. | 2/12 | „ | 12, vii. | „ | 19, vii. | „ | 4, ix. | „ | 30, ix. |
| m. | 1 | „ | 30, v. | „ | 7, vi. | „ | 8, vii. | „ | 30, viii |
| m. | 3/12 | „ | 20, vi. | „ | 30, vi. | „ | 12, ix. | „ | 20, ix. |
| F. | 1 ½ | „ | 21, ix. | „ | 10, x. | „ | 2, xi. | „ | ? |
| m. | 5/12 | „ | 15, viii. | „ | 31, viii. | „ | 3, x. | Died | 7, x. |
| m. | 9/12 | „ | 4, ix. | „ | 13, ix. | „ | 20, ix. | Final recovery | 11, x. |
Multiple Cases.
| Sex | Reported and Age | Cases. Onset. | Dates, &c. of other cases. | Reported Sex andAge. | Cases. Onset. | Dates, &c. of other cases. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| m. | 2/12 | 10, vii. | f. 6. 13, vii. | m. | 1 11/12 | 29, vii. | 29, vii. "Still ill." |
| m. | 4/12 | 14, viii. | m. | 1 4/12 | 3, viii. | ||
| f. | 1 ½ | 17, ix. | f. | 2/12 | 26, ix. | 22, ix. "Still ill." | |
| F. | 8/12 | ? 2, ix. | f. 2½ "2 weeks ago." m. 1 "just recovered." | 2/12 | 10, vii. | ||
| f. | 1 10/12 | 19, ix. | M. | 2/12 | 12, vii. | ||
| f. | 2 | 25, viii. | 23, viii. ; 24, viii. | f. | 6 | 19, ix. | f. 2. 15-18, ix. |
| m. | 9/12 | 28, ix. | "A week ago," just recovered. | m. f. | 8 | 20, ix. | |
| f. | 8/12 | 7, vii. | f. 3. 10, vii. | ||||
| f. | 1 10/12 | 31, viii. | 25 31, viii. | f. | 8/12 | 5, ix. | No date given, 14 days illness. |
| f. | 1/12 | 10, vii. | f. | 1 | 2, ix. | ||
| f. | 5/12 | 24 vii. | Mother " a few days prior to enquiry." | ||||
| m. | 1/12 | 31, viii. | 2 | 7, viii. | |||
| M. | 1 10/12 | 1, ix. | m. | 1 4/12 | 17, ix. | ||
| f. | 1 10/12 | 5, viii. | F. 6. 3-4, viii. | f. | 1 ½ | 15, ix. | |
| m. | 1 10/12 | 9, vii. | 14, viii.; 27, viii. | m. | 5 | 19, ix. | |
| M. | 1 11/12 | 19, viii. | |||||
Mortality among Illegitimate Children.—During the year 69 deaths of illegitimate
children were registered in the Borough, 15 more than in the previous year. Deducting 13
deaths of children not belonging to the Borough, and adding three others occurring beyond
the Borough, a corrected total of 50 deaths is obtained, 24 of the deceased being males, and
2G females. The nett mortality among such infants under one (34 deaths) was 216 per 1,000
births, a decrease of 28 per 1,000 below the rate for the preceding year, the corresponding
mortality among legitimate children being 90 last year, and 99 in 1909. The corrected
mortality among illegitimate children was 230 and among legitimate, 90 per 1,000 births of