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
St Pancras 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, London, Borough of]
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63
In 1912 the deaths from diarrhoœa and enteritis numbered 45, or less than
one-third of the 1913 figures.
The weekly distribution of the deaths throughout the year will be found in
the table inset at page 24.
Reference is made to the infantile diarrhœal mortality on page 22.
SYPHILIS.
Many more deaths are caused through this disease than appear under its
name. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, there is a natural reluctance
on the part of medical practitioners to hand a death certificate to the friends
of a deceased child or adult with this name upon it; and, secondly, many
deaths from disease of various parts of the body are due to antecedent syphilis.
For these reasons any statistical representation of the facts of this disease,
based on the death returns, must be understated. It must also be remembered
that very many still-births (abortions and miscarriages) are due to syphilis,
and that much injury to health must be attributed to it apart from actual
fatality. It is beyond question that this preventible disease is responsible for
a very large amount of illness and death.
In the following table are given the age and sex distribution of deaths certified during 1913 as due to (a) declared syphilis, (b) locomotor ataxy and general paralysis of the insane, which are believed by most experts to be late manifestations of the disease, and (c) aortic aneurysm, which many authorities now consider to be at any rate frequently cau-ed by it:—
| 0-1 | 1-0 | 5—5 | 15—25 | 26—85 | 8.5—4 | 45—55 | 55—65 | 65—75 | 75—35 | 85 up. | Total Males. | 0-1 | 1 -6- | 5-15 | 15—25 | 25 —35 | 35— 45 | 45—55 | 55—65 | 65—75 | 75-85 | 85 up. | Total Females. | Total Persons. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syphilis | 9 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 16 | |
| Gummatous disease | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| 9 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | 14 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 18 | ||
| Locomotor ataxy- | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 2 | |
| General paralysis of the | - | - | - | - | 2 | 7 | 6 | 3 | - | - | - | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | 3 | - | - | - | - | 4 | 22 |
| Aortic aneurysm | - | - | - | - | - | - | 5 | 1 | 1 | - | - | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 8 |
The above figures are too small to allow of any conclusions being drawn, but
it will be noticed that the deaths of males are in considerable excess over those
of females. This extends in this year also to the cases under one year of age
(congenital).
Preventive measures.— As in most other sanitary areas, nothing is being done
at present by this authority with a view of lessening the mortality from this
disease, and it is a subject which will undoubtedly demand attention in the
future. The subject is at present under the consideration of a Royal
Commission.