Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Report on the sanitary condition and vital statistics during the year 1913 together with the report of the Chief Sanitary Inspector
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leaky in six, and the yard drainage was faulty in thirtytwo;
minor insanitary defects were noted in 168 instances.
Thirteen persons were removed from single room tenements,
one of which was overcrowded.
DIPHTHERIA.
Deaths 11 (Decennial Average 23).
Diphtheria was notified in 226 cases and Membranous
Croup in six. Ten of the certificates were duplicates, ten
of the cases were treated at home, where four of them died,
212 were removed to hospital, but eleven of these were
found to be suffering from some disease other than Diphtheria
(usually Scarlet Fever). Of the 201 genuine cases
seven died, making with the home deaths a total of 11, a
case mortality of 5.44 as against 8.10 amongst the whole
of the Eastern Hospital cases.
The Inspectors report that 96 of the homes of the
patients were in a fairly satisfactory condition but the
w.c. or the apparatus connected therewith was faulty in
19, the internal drains were defective in five cases, and
the yard drains in 23; minor insanitary defects were noted
in 97 cases. Seven children were removed from singleroom
tenements, two of which were overcrowded.
48,000 units of anti-toxin were supplied free to medical
gentlemen during the year, and 151 throat swabs were
submitted to the Clinical Research Association for
examination, 36 of which gave positive results and 115
negative.
All the Diphtheria deaths except three were amongst
young children aged less than five years, a mortality of
0.5 per thousand on the estimated population of young
children.