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
Strand (Westminster) 1900
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Strand District, London]
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15
OF THE CITY OF WESTMINSTER.
In addition to the compulsorily notifiable diseases, I have also obtained information from school teachers and others, of the existence of cases of Measles, Whooping Cough, Mumps, and Chickenpox, distributed as follows:—
| St. Anne's Sub-District. | Strand Sub-District. | Portion of St. Giles. | Total. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measles | 50 | 24 | — | 74 |
| Whooping Cough | 2 | 40 | — | 12 |
| Mumps | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| Chickenpox | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
Measles.—The occurrence of two deaths in St. Anne's Parish
was the first indication I had that Measles was prevalent. I
then found that 55 children were absent from St. Anne's School.
Steps were at once taken to ascertain if any children were
attending this or other schools, from an infected house, and notices
were sent to teachers requesting their exclusion. These cases
occurred in March and April. No cases occurred in the Strand
Sub-District until May, and through prompt information being
given, there were only a few cases. There were 6 deaths from
this disease, all in St Anne's.
Whooping Cough was prevalent in the Strand Sub-District
from April to July, and 4 deaths occurred; 2 cases came to my
knowledge in St. Anne's, 1 being fatal.
Influenza was prevalent at the end of the year 1899, and
continued into the first quarter of 1900, causing 10 deaths
directly, besides adding largely to the death-rate through its
effects on the respiratory organs.
Diarrhceal Disease.—11 deaths occurred from Acute or
Infantile Diarrhoea, as against 21 in the preceding year. The
improvement which has been taking place in this District, as I
have shown in previous reports, still continues. The rate for the
10 years 1890-99, was 0.64 per 1,000, for 1900, 0.46 per 1,000.