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
Kensington 1904
The annual report on the health, sanitary condition of the Royal Borough of Kensington, etc., etc., for the year 1904
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"The subjoined table shows the distribution of phthisis in the Borough: notified cases, and fatal cases not notified:—
| Cases Notified. | Total Notifications in 1904. | Deaths of Cases previously Notified— | Deaths of Cases not Notified. | Total Deaths. | Total Number of Cases Investigated. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newly in 1904. | In 1903 and re-notified in 1904. | In 1902 and re-notified in 1904. | |||||||||
| In 1904.1 | In 1903. | In 1902. | |||||||||
| Number of Cases in— | |||||||||||
| The Borough | 168 | 18 | 17 | 203 | 67 | 14 | 11 | 143 | 235 | 371 | |
| Sub-districts :— | |||||||||||
| Kensington Town | 156 | 17 | 17 | 190 | 66 | 13 | 10 | 119 | 128 | 332 | |
| Brompton | 12 | 1 | – | 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 27 | 39 | |
| Parliamentary Divisions :— | |||||||||||
| North Kensington | 138 | 15 | 16 | 169 | 53 | 9 | 9 | 93 | 164 | 280 | |
| South Kensington | 30 | 3 | 1 | 34 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 50 | 71 | 91 | |
| Wards : — | |||||||||||
| North Kensington | St. Charles | 22 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 24 | 38 | 53 |
| Golborne | 30 | 4 | 3 | 37 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 42 | 66 | |
| Norland | 78 | 7 | 10 | 95 | 28 | 4 | 3 | 27 | 62 | 129 | |
| Pembridge | 8 | 2 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 17 | 22 | 32 | |
| Holland | 12 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 9 | 2 | – | 17 | 28 | 33 | |
| South Kensington | Earl's Court | 4 | _ | _ | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 16 | 19 | 22 |
| Queen's Gate | 5 | 1 | _ | 6 | _ | 1 | – | 3 | 4 | 10 | |
| Redclifie | 4 | 1 | – | 5 | 3 | 1 | – | 6 | 10 | 12 | |
| Brompton | 5 | – | – | 5 | 1 | – | 1 | 8 | 10 | 14 | |
"It will be observed that of the 168 cases newly notified in 1904, 130 were from three wards
in North Kensington, St. Charles (22), Golborne (30) and Norland (78), arid that of the deaths, 142
(38, 42 and 62) belonged to the same wards, the^population of which aggregates 72, 300; and 92
to the remaining six wards; population 105,700.
"One hundred and sixty-nine of the 203 notifications, and 164 of the 235 deaths, related to
persons belonging to North Kensington; 34 notifications, and 71 deaths, to persons belonging to
South Kensington—after allocation to their previous residences of the cases and deaths at the
Borough Infirmary and Workhouse.
"The proportion of deaths at the Infirmary to total deaths from phthisis, was large; 98 out of
235: males 59, and females 39. Seventy-two of the deaths were of North Kensington persons, and
26 of South Kensington persons. The notified cases were 136; males 76, females 60: 109 of North
Kensington persons, and 27 of South Kensington persons, High Street, Notting Hill, and Holland
Park Avenue constituting the dividing line. Fifty cases were notified by District Medical Officers,
the majority of which were subsequently removed to the Infirmary. Seven cases only (4 in North
Kensington and 3 in South Kensington) were notified by other than Poor Law doctors.
"All notified cases residing at home were kept under observation, having been visited as
frequently as practicable. Disinfection after the death of a sufferer, or after removal of a patient
from one abode to another, generally to the Borough Infirmary, was offered and usually accepted:
in some cases it was refused, either as being deemed unnecessary, or because of the resultant
inconvenience. The refusals numbered 23 only, as against 60 in 1903, and 46 in 1902.
*The figures in this column are not included in the total number of cases investigated (set out in the last column), being
already counted in the first column.