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 1914
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, London, Borough of]
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In the following table are shown the death.rates from tuberculosis for the past 10 years:—
| Year. | Estimated Population. | Tuberculosis Death.Rate. | Corresjiondiwj rates for " all Forms based on 1911 census Population | County of London Phthisis Death Rate. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phthisis. | Other Forms. | All Forms. | ||||
| 1905 | 237149 | 1 .49 | .40 | 1.89 | 1.45 | |
| 1906 | 237149 | 1.69 | .2 | 2.21 | 1.50 | |
| 1907 | 237173 | 1.59 | .43 | 2.02 | 1.46 | |
| 1908 | 237247 | 1.53 | .41 | 1.94 | 1.39 | |
| 1909 | 237247 | 1.58 | .33 | 1.91 | 1.46 | |
| 1910 | 237247 | 1.25 | .32 | 1.57 | 1.25 | |
| 1911 | 237129 | 1.39 | .35 | 1.74 | 1.35 | |
| 1912 | 220353 | 1.48 | .32 | 1.82 | 1.35 | |
| 1913 | 218387 | 1.46 | .30 | 1.79 | 1.30 | |
| 1914 | 218387 | 1.67 | .30 | 1.97 | 1.39 | |
The table shows that the St. Pancras rate for 1914 was higher than for any
year since 1909, the increase being due to the pulmonary form. The
tendency of the disease to decrease which has been such a feature of recent
decades seems to have disappeared during the past few years, and this is
noticeable also in the figures for London.
The position of St. Pancras amongst the metropolitan boroughs in regard
to tuberculosis mortality is very bad. The death-rate for 1914 is 13 per
cent. greater than that for the County as a whole, and is only exceeded by
three other boroughs, viz., Shoreditch, f insbury and Holborn. It is between
two and three times as great as in the case of the borough with the lowest
rate, viz., Hampstead, where phthisis death.rate for 1914 is 0.64. Our
po.ition in regard to infantile mortality (see page 23) offers a striking contrast
to this, St. Pancras ranking in that respect among the better boroughs. Our
position as to general death.rate is intermediate between these extremes.
The weekly distribution of deaths from tuberculosis will be found in the
table inset at page 27.
Work Done.
As in former years the work in connection with tuberculosis has been done
by the female staff under the direction of the Medical Officer of Health.
Miss Bibby has devoted part of her time to it, paying special attention to
supplementary and after.care, and Miss Giles, the temporary visitor, practically
the whole of her time.
The work which has been done has consisted mainly in the visiting of
notified cases. At these visits a case paper is filled up for each case, and
advice is given as to the means that can be adopted by the patients to assist
their recovery, and by the families of the patients to avoid contracting the
disease. Where there are contacts whose health is not all that can be desired,