London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Shoreditch 1902

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]

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6
Of some 432 persons belonging to Shoreditch dying in public institutions situate
without the Borough, 232 died in general hospitals including 34 in hospitals for
children, 110 died in the hospital for infectious disease belonging to the Metropolitan
Asylums Board, including 74 in the hospitals for small-pox, 62 died in asylums, 13 in
hospitals for special diseases, 9 in workhouse infirmaries, and 6 in other institutions.
Elsewhere than in public institutions, 19 persons belonging to Shoreditch died beyond
the limits of the Borough.
Altogether during the year under consideration the deaths of some 881 persons
belonging to Shoreditch, that is to say 36 per cent. of the total number of deaths,
occurred in public institutions.
SICKNESS AMONGST THE POOR.
During the year 1902 some 3,403 cases of illness came under the treatment
of the district medical officers at the public dispensary, as compared with 3,883
cases in 1901 and 3,267 cases in 1900. An analysis of the cases is contained in Table
VII. (see Appendix). Diseases of the respiratory organs were responsible for a large
proportion of the cases; other common complaints were rheumatism, consumption,
disease of the circulatory system, brain and nervous system, digestive system, and of
the locomotive system. The latter were chiefly cases of ulcerated legs. Diseases of the
skin were common, 85 cases being dealt with. Some 94 cases resulted from accidents.
The cases diagnosed as cancer numbered 12, as compared with 31 in 1901, 33 in 1900,
18 in 1899, 9 in 1898, 15 in 1897, 21 in 1896, 15 in 1895, 27 in 1894, and 23 in 1893.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
The various infectious diseases, numbered 1 to 35 in Table V. (see Appendix)
caused 767 deaths, as compared with 762 in 1901, being just over 31 per cent. of the
total number of deaths from all causes. The small-pox outbreak markedly raised
the number of deaths from infectious diseases. The death-rate due to these diseases was 6.5 per 1,000 inhabitants.

The distribution of the deaths according to ages is as shown in the subjoined table:—

Age periodUnder 11-55-1010-1515-2020-2525-3535-4545-5555-6565-7575-85
No. of deaths2132052922253066845126124

With respect to the above table the remarks contained in the report for 1901
apply. Of the 762 deaths from infectious diseases 418 were of children under five
years of age.