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
Barnet 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barnet UDC]
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9
The average for the past 10 years has been 99 per
1,000.
The Rate is calculated as the ratio of infant deaths to
births per 1,000.
The Notification of Births Act, 1907, has not been
adopted in this District.
Infantile mortality has a variety of causes, among which
alcoholism, impure food, and contamination of infants' food—,
improper feeding, impure milk, insanitary conditions, and
overcrowding are noteworthy.
The inclusion of premature births results in a considerable
increase in the rate. The total number of deaths is so
small that an increase of 2 or 3 premature births greatly
raises the rate.
Infantile diarrhoea was not very prevalent, owing partly
to the wet summer and also to the improved conditions under
which the children are reared.
ZYMOTIC DISEASES.
The number of deaths from diseases of this class was 3,
as compared with 6 in the previous year.
The number of cases of Infectious Diseases notified
during 1912 (excluding 23 cases of Tuberculosis) was 48,
being a decrease of 6 from 1911.
The following table shows the number of Notifications to the Sanitary Authority during the year of each disease specified in the Infectious Diseases (Notification) Act, and the number removed to Hospital:—
| Nature of Infectious Disease. | Notified. | Removed to Hospital |
|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | .. | .. |
| Scarlet Fever or Scarlatina | 32 | 27† |
| Diphtheria and Membranous Croup | 11 | 8 |
| Enteric (Typhoid) Fever | .. | .. |
| Typhus Fever | .. | .. |
| Cholera | .. | .. |
| Relapsing Fever | .. | .. |
| Continued Fever | .. | .. |
| Erysipelas | 5 | 1 * |
| Pulmonary Tuberculosis | 23 | .. |
| Cerebro-Spinal Fever | .. | .. |
| Acute Poliomyelitis | .. | .. |
| Total | 71 | 36 |
| †lncludes 5 from Poor Law Union. *Removed to London. | ||