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

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Islington 1906

Fifty-first annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington

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80
1906
TYPHUS FEVER.
No death was recorded during the year, which is the seventh in succession
since one was registered. Indeed only 5 deaths have been known since 1888.
CONTINUED FEVER.
Nil return.
DIARRHCEA.
The deaths from diarrhoea, including Epidemic Enteritis, were 213 as
compared with a corrected average of 216 in the preceding twenty years, and
were equal to a death-rate of 0.62 per 1,000 of the population. This rate
compares favourably with the rate for the County of London, in which it was
0.94 per 1,000, and with that of the combined rate for the boroughs which
encircle Islington, which was 0.88.

The deaths recorded in the several periods of the year were:—

Diarrhoea.Other Diarrhceal Diseases.Total.
1st Quarter91827
2nd „103242
3rd „16765232
4th „274572
213160373
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It appears from the returns that the deaths from Diarrhoea were above the
average of the preceding ten years in each quarter. Thus in the first quarter
they exceeded it by 6, in the second by 2, in the third by 8, and in the fourth
by 7.
It will be noticed that as usual the largest number of cases occurred in the
third quarter which is the hottest period of the year, and a reference to the
Table I in the Medical Officer's report for that period shows that out of the
167 deaths of Diarrhoea and Epidemic Enteritis 134 were under a year old.
The fact is that the bulk of this mortality was due to the careless and ignorant
manner in which infants are fed and their food stored. As the subject is
receiving special attention by the Public Health Committee it will not be
pursued further here at present.