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
Shoreditch 1902
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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12
Excluding the eases in the Holborn Workhouse and the persons attacked in the
Shoreditch Workhouse and Infirmary, 373 cases of small-pox occurred during the year
in Shoreditch. Of these 61 fell ill in January, most of them during the last four days
of the month, 126 in February, 82 in March, 41 in April, 36 in May, 18 in June, 2 in
July, 3 in August, 1 in October, and 3 in November.
Of the 373 cases 172 were amongst males and 201 females; of the former 37 or
21.5 per cent. and of the latter 36 or 17.9 per cent. terminated fatally.
The distiibution of the cases and deaths amongst males and females at certain age periods is shewn in the following Table:
| age Periods. | Males. | Females. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases. | Deaths. | Cases. | Deaths. | |
| Under 1 year | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| 1 to 5 years | 14 | 4 | 21 | 9 |
| 5 to 10 „ | 23 | 5 | 23 | 7 |
| 10 to 15 „ | 25 | 7 | 25 | 2 |
| 15 to 20 „ | 21 | 3 | 26 | 3 |
| Totals under 20 | 88 | 22 | 101 | 26 |
| 20 to 25 years | 21 | 1 | 18 | 2 |
| 25 to 30 „ | 22 | 5 | 32 | 4 |
| 30 to 35 „ | 12 | 4 | 19 | 2 |
| 35 to 40 ,, | 7 | 1 | 13 | 1 |
| 40 to 50 „ | 15 | 3 | 15 | 1 |
| 50 to 60 „ | 5 | 1 | ||
| 60 to 70 „ | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| 70 to 80 „ | 1 | |||
| Totals 20 to 80 | 84 | 15 | 100 | 10 |
| Total all ages | 172 | 37 | 201 | 36 |
Of the 373 cases 73 terminated fatally, the case mortality bring 19.5 per cent.
With respect to the sources of infection and the spread of the disease in the Borough,
a reference to the particulars given in Table IX. will enable a fairly accurate idea
being formed on these important points. As has already been indicated a few isolated
cases and groups of cases occurred in Shoreditch during the last four months of 1901,
in which there is no doubt that the infection was imported from various sources outside
the Borough. Such cases continued to occur throughout the epidemic in 1902.