Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Ilford]
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A comparison with four other towns, for the year 1906, with regard to this disease is shown below:—
Cases. | Deaths. | Rate per 1,000. | |
---|---|---|---|
Ilford | 35 | 1 | .01 |
Acton | 13 | 3 | .05 |
Colchester | 12 | 2 | .04 |
Southend | 19 | 2 | .04 |
East Ham | 39 | 8 | .06 |
From September 18th to October 18th, 14 cases of
Typhoid Fever were notified, 11 of which were in the
Clementswood Ward, the majority being in two roads in
that ward. They were notified on the 18th, 27th, 28th, 29th,
and 30th September, and 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th, nth, 12th, 13th,
and 18th October respectively.
The only thing they apparently had in common was the
water, which is supplied ,by the South Essex Waterworks
Co. Two samples were taken and sent to Dr. Thresh for
analysis, with the following result:—
Sample taken on 1st October, 1906.
„ „ 3rd „ „
"These waters differ very little chemically; they are of
the same degree of hardness, and both are
(chemically) of the highest degree of organic purity.
"The bacterial examination gives no indication of pollution
by manurial or sewage matter, but both are
unusual, since the gelatine plates on the second day
only showed one or two colonies, yet on the third
day the surface of the jelly was completely liquified,
and there were obviously innumerable small
colonies. As I have never met with this phenomenon