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
Islington 1898
Forty-third annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Parish of St. Mary, Islington
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65
[1898
"Surely after such a statement as this no person can pretend to
think that Measles is so trifling a complaint that little or no care need
be taken of the patient, And yet it is just this lack of care which kills,
because it lays the patient open to secondary diseases, a fact which
may be fully understood by an examination of the following table ;—
Table XXXVIII. Showing the Secondary Causes of the deaths from Measles, during the Epidemic.
| Secondary Diseases. | Males. | Females. | Totals. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pneumonia | 104 | 97 | 201 | |
| Bronchitis | 54 | 40 | 94 | |
| Whooping Cough | 7 | 6 | 13 | |
| Convulsions | 7 | 5 | 12 | |
| Diphtheria | .. | 1 | 1 | |
| Croup | .. | 4 | 4 | |
| Laryngitis | 1 | 5 | 6 | |
| Phthisis | .. | 1 | 1 | |
| Marasmus | .. | 3 | 3 | |
| Atelectasis | .. | 1 | 1 | |
| Enteritis | 2 | .. | 2 | |
| Stomatitis | .. | 1 | 1 | |
| Syncope | .. | 1 | 1 | |
| Meningitis | 2 | .. | 2 | |
| Dropsy | 1 | .. | 1 | |
| Anaemia | 1 | .. | 1 | |
| Œdæma of Brain | .. | 1 | 1 | |
| Mumps | •• | 1 | 1 | |
| All Secondary Causes | 179 | 167 | 346 | |
| No Secondary Causes | 8 | 8 | 16 | |
| Totals | 187 | 175 | 362 | |
"Here it is revealed that in only 16 cases was Measles said to have
been the sole cause of death, while in 201 instances it was complicated
with Pneumonia, and in 94 with Bronchitis. In my report for the first
quarter of this year I pointed out that many of these deaths were
avoidable, and, consequently, I will not now discuss the question
especially as I know that my remarks received very wide publicity in
the medical and lay press,