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
Lambeth 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lambeth, Metropolitan Borough of]
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56
DIPHTHERIA.
During 1914, 50 deaths were registered in the Borough from
diphtheria, and a total of 550 cases were notified, giving a casemortality
of 91 per cent. The annual averages for two decennia
1891-1900 (Parish), and 1901-10 (Borough) are respectively (1)
notified cases, 685.2 and 379.8, (2) deaths 124.7 and 41.6. Of the
550 cases notified during 1914, 476* (i.e., 86.5 per cent.) were removed
to hospital, and 47 died, giving a case-mortality of 9.9 per
cent, amongst the cases treated in hospital; whilst 74 (i.e., 13.5 per
cent.) were treated at home, and 3 died (i.e., 41 per cent.). The
case-mortality rate for the whole of the Borough during 1914 is
again low, pointing to (1) the mildness of the majority of the cases
notified, and (2) the value of antitoxin in the treatment of diphtheria,
especially in the very early stages of the disease.†
It will be noted that there has been a slight increase in the diphtheria rates in the Borough during 1914, but, allowing for the slight fallacy that may arise from comparing statistics of the old Parish with those of the new Borough, the general decrease in the mortality from diphtheria is again noteworthy, as also the general decrease in the number of notifications of the same disease received, thus:—
| Quinquennial Period. | Population (estimated). | Number of Deaths. | Death-rate per million living. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1863-1867 | 902119 | 148 | 164 | ||
| Old Parish of Lambeth. | 1868-1872 | 1021165 | 96 | 94 | |
| 1873-1877 | 1132106 | 184 | 163 | ||
| 1878-1882 | 1245913 | 255 | 205 | ||
| 1883-1887 | 1313211 | 365 | 278 | ||
| 1888-1892 | 1367734 | 537 | 393 | ||
| 1893-1897 | 1443857 | 683 | 483 | ||
| . 1898-1900 | 924333 | 362 | 392 | ||
* Of the 476 cases of Diphtheria removed to Hospital, 45 proved at
Hospital not to be suffering from that disease.
† 72 Bottles of Antitoxin were distributed during 1914 under the new
Antitoxin Order.