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 1909
Report on the public health of Finsbury 1909 including annual report on factories and workshops
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The number for previous years are given in the table sub-joined:—
| Year. | Finsbury Deaths from Phthisis. | Finsbury Deaths from other forms of Tuberculosis. | Phthisis Death Rates per 1,000 population. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Finsbury. | England and Wales. | |||
| 1901 | 30 | 2.12 | 1.260 | |
| 1902 | 240 | 23 | 2.38 | 1.230 |
| 1903 | 39 | 2.21 | 1.200 | |
| 1904 | 251 | 67 | 2 .53 | 1.230 |
| 1905 | 215 | 52 | 2. l8 | 1.140 |
| 1906 | 232 | 48 | 2.38 | 1.150 |
| 1907 | 243 | 42 | 2.51 | 1.140 |
| 1908 | 221 | 39 | 230 | 1.115 |
| 1909 | 228 | 31 | 2.39 | |
It will be observed that the phthisis death rate is very high in
Finsbury—it is more than double the rate that prevails in England
and Wales generally. The phthisis death rate in England and
Wales has never been above 2 per 1,000 since the year 1880, so
that at first sight it would appear that consumption of the lungs
in Finsbury now stands in about the same position that it did in
England and Wales generally in 1871, when the rate was 2.34 per
1,000, that is nearly 40 years ago.
However, there are several reasons for this, which must be
gone into in next year's report.
Of the whole number of deaths in Finsbury in 1909, consumption
of the lungs caused more than any other single disease.
Altogether 14 per cent. of the total deaths in Finsbury were due
to tuberculosis in this year. The broad fact then issues that the
question of the prevention of consumption of the lungs is one of
most urgent and most important before the Borough Council.