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

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Battersea 1900

Report upon the public health & sanitary condition of Battersea during the year1900

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Administrative Considerations.
Plague has, for the space of nearly two centuries, receded
from Europe, but has in recent years once more trended
westward, and has re-appeared in Great Britain. Sanitary
authorities need be on the alert to detect the presence of the
disease and prevent its becoming epidemic. Plague will not
readily fasten on that section of our population which is properly
housed, cleanly, and generally, in a sanitary sense, well-to-do ;
that rather it will especially affect insanitary areas such as are
peopled by the poorest class, and where overcrowding of persons
in houses and dirt and squallor of dwellings and of inhabitants
tend to prevail.
The following facts respecting Plague deserve to be borne
in mind :—
(1) Plague has an incubation period of 3 to 5 (in exceptional
cases of perhaps 8 to 10) days.
(2) Plague is wont, especially in its earlier manifestations,
to assume a mild form, or even to present anomalous symptoms,
tending to confound it with other and more innocent diseases.
(3) Plague in all its forms must needs be regarded as
personally infective.
(4) Plague affects rats as well as the human subject. It
may, indeed, be found causing mortality among those lower
animals antecedent to its definite invasion of the population.
There can be no doubt that the rat and the man are, as regards
Plague, reciprocally infective.
The memoranda further refers to the diminution of
Typhus due to improved sanitary conditions, and compares
its close resemblance to Plague, and also suggests the general
measures which should be adopted in dealing with an outbreak,
including prompt isolation, disinfection, and the quarantine of
persons who have been exposed to infection ; the abatement as
speedily as possible of all insanitary conditions in the locality ;
and in the case of death the prompt disposal of the bodies.

TABLE XVIII continued—

DISEASESAGES.All Ages.Sub-Districts.
Under 1 year.1 to 5 years5 to 10 years.10 to 15 years.15 to 20 years20 to 25 years.25 to 35 years.35 to 45 years.45 to 55 years.55 to 65 years.65 to 75 years.75 to 85 years.85 years and upwards.Males.Females.TotalEast Battersea.North-West BatterseaSouth-West Battersea.
Pericarditis...1...1......1.........1............44......
Endocarditis...12513611181212151444387402918
Hypertrophy of Heart........................1............1...1......1
Angina Pectoris.....................1...21......314121
Aneurism..................1422......72936...
Senile Gangrene...........................11 62...2242...2
Embolism, Thrombosis...............2...124......7815591
Other Diseases, Heart and Vessels1122133211932311525974133524635
Laryngitis3...2..............................2353...2
Croup...2...................... ............112...2...
Acute Bronchitis6321......11...1687616550115673711
Chronic Bronchitis22............271538542556387150605733
Lobar Pneumonia961...12267323...18244217178