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 1907
Report on the public health of Finsbury 1907 including annual report on factories and workshops
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The following table sets out the number of phthisis deaths in institutions as follows :—
| Total Number of Phthisis Deaths. | Phthisis Deaths in Holborn Union Infirmary. | In other Institutions. | Total in Institutions. | Percentage of Deaths in Institutions. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 216 | 82 | 39 | 121 | 56·0 | |
| 1902 | 240 | 20 | 108 | 45·0 | ||
| 1903 | 223 | 97 | 20 | 52·5 | ||
| 1904 | 251 | 113 | 27 | 140 | 55·7 | |
| 1905 | 215 | 97 | 31 | 128 | 59·3 | |
| 1906 | 232 | 85 | 58 | 143 | 61·6 | |
| 1907 | 243 | 108 | 51 | 159 | 65·4 | |
From this table it will be seen that more than half the deaths
from this disease in Finsbury occur in institutions, and, with few
exceptions, poor law institutions. This means, in the first place,
that more than half the deaths are of the very poor, and, secondly,
it means that more than half of the advanced and dying cases of
this disease are isolated from the community, and in this way a
large body of infection is removed from the district, which is a
matter of the greatest importance as a means of prevention of the
spread of the disease. But our chief need at the present time in
dealing with phthisis in Finsbury is earlier and more frequent
isolation of the patient, both for his own sake and the protection of
the community.
To measure the age incidence accurately it is necessary to state
the deaths per 10,000 of the population at each age period as
follows:-