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
Finsbury 1904
Report on the public health of Finsbury 1904 including annual report on factories and workshops
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The age incidence of Diphtheria and its mortality for 1904 was as follows:—
| Ages in Years | Under 1 year | 1-5 | 5-15 | 15-20 | 20-30 | 30-40 | 40- | Totals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Notified Cases | Males | 1 | 27 | 17 | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | 49 |
| Females | 4 | 30 | 28 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 74 | |
| Totals | 5 | 57 | 45 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 23 | |
| Deaths from Diphtheria. | 3 | 10 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 14 | |
| Percentage on Cases. | 60.0 | 17.5 | - | 25.0 | - | - | - | 11.4 | |
It will be seen that the chief incidence of the disease has fallen
upon young children; as many as 102 out of the 123 were of
school age, which is almost exactly the same proportion as last
year.
The following table shows the seasonal occurrence of the cases of diphtheria notified to us in 1904:—
| Months | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | April. | May. | June | July. | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Cases | 13 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 13 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 4 |
| Totals | 24 | 36 | 37 | 26 | ||||||||
The cases of Diphtheria have been evenly distributed throughout
the Borough, the southern portion of northern Clerkenwell, as
last year, alone remaining free. In a general way it may be said
that most cases have occurred in the overcrowded and poorer
parts of the district. The incidence has not been exceptionally
heavy in the Model Dwellings, nor in relation to any milkshops.
Personal infection has been, without question, the main channel
for the spread of the disease. Not a few cases have apparently
arisen from contact with "ordinary sore-throats."