London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Holborn 1900

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Holborn, Metropolitan Borough]

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10
PLAGUE.
Notification and Precautionary Measures.
In accordance with the Regulations of the Local Government Board, dated the 19 th September,
1900, Plague was made a notifiable disease, and a printed circular was at once prepared and sent to
each medical practitioner practising in the District, giving information of this.
Arrangements were made with the Metropolitan Asylums Board for the removal of any case of
Plague to one of their hospitals.
The London County Council made arrangements for any suspected case to be seen by Dr. James
Cantlie before removal to a hospital of the Metropolitan Asylums Board.
An arrangement was also made with Dr. Klein for the bacteriological examination of material
from suspected cases.
The London County Council also had premises prepared for the prompt removal of all persons
who had been in contact with a plague case, where they could be isolated and placed under medical
supervision until it could be ascertained whether or not any of them had been infected with the
disease.
Inquiry was also made at all seamen's lodging houses, common lodging-houses and shelters in
Sanitary Districts in the Eastern half of London on both sides of the Thames, for cases of sickness
which might possibly prove to be plague; and all cases of sickness of a doubtful nature were enquired
into by one of the Council's medical officers.

DISINFECTION. During the year ending December, 1900, 278 rooms were fumigated and cleansed. The rooms were also stripped and limewhited where necessary. 1,928 articles were disinfected by steam, viz.:—

185 Beds156 Quilts
15 Mattresses395 Pieces of wearing apparel
74 Bolsters5 Curtains
312 Pillows3 Rugs
377 Blankets68 Sundries
292 Sheets
46 Cushions1,928 Total

The family shelter at 47, Northampton Road (conjointly used by the Clerkenwell Vestry), was
used for sleeping accommodation by 16 families, consisting of 62 persons from this District, during the
disinfection of their rooms.
SICKNESS RETURNS.
The number of cases of sickness under the care of the District Medical Officers was 1,421.
In 1891 the number of cases of sickness was nearly double, viz., 2,816 and they have diminished each
year since that date. Details of these are given in Table VII.
HOUSING OF THE WORKING CLASSES ACT, 1890.
Union Buildings Area
Aylesbury Place, Clerkenwell, and Union Buildings, Holborn, Improvement Scheme, 1899.
Details of my reports on the Union Buildings Area were given in my Annual Report for the
year 1899. I made a special report to the Board on the greater part of the Area in 1896.
The following are the mortality statistics for the Union Buildings Area, giving the average
general death-rate, phthisis death-rate, and the zymotic death-rate for the four years, 1896-1899,
inclusive. I give also the corresponding rates for the Holborn District, and for London as a whole.
This Board was not supplied with the details of deaths in the District until the year 1896, so
that I can only give the statistics for the four years 1896-1899 inclusive.