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
Paddington 1909
Report on the vital statistics and sanitary work for the year 1909
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diphtheria. 15
Of the 175 cases reported, 164 were removed to hospital, including the 27 cases
erroneously diagnosed. The percentage of patients treated in hospital was 93.7 as compared
with an average of 82.7 during the five preceding years. The percentages of cases removed
from the different Wards varied from 83.3 in Lancaster Gate, East, to 100 in Lancaster
Gate, West.
The deaths among the 175 patients notified as having diphtheria numbered 15, four,
however, as being certified as due to causes other than that disease. Of the 11 deaths from
diphtheria, one occurred at home and 10 in hospital.
After making due corrections for the errors of diagnosis and for deaths not due to
diphtheria, the fatality becomes 7.4 per cent., or 3.3 below the mean for the preceding
five years (10.7). Among cases treated at home the fatality was 9.0 per cent. (mean 12.7),
and among those removed to hospital 7.4 (mean 10.2). (See Table 14.)
TABLE 13.
| Ward. | Diphtheria (including Membranous Croup). | Scarlet Fever. | Enteric Fever (including Continued Fever.) | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases. | Deaths. | Cases. | Deaths. | Cases. | Deaths. | |||||||
| Total Reported. | Removed to Hospital. | At Home. | In Hospital. | Total Reported. | Removed to Hospital. | At Home. | In Hospital. | Total Reported. | Removed to Hospital. | At Home. | In Hospital. | |
| Queen's Park | 21(4) | 19(4) | - | 56(3) | - | 2(1) | 3 | 2 | - | - | ||
| Harrow Road | 43(4) | 42(4) | - | 167(8) | 159(7) | - | 1 | 2 | 1 | - | — | |
| Maida Vale | 20(3) | - | — | 45(7) | 41(7) | - | — | 4(1) | 3(1) | - | — | |
| Westbourne | 27(7) | 25 (7) | 1 | 3(1) | 107(7) | 103(0) | - | 1 | 3(1) | 2(1) | 1 | — |
| Church | 45(9) | 43(9) | - | 8(3) | 171(12) | 170(12) | - | 10(1) | 10 (3) | 9(2) | - | — |
| Lancaster Gate, West | 2 | 2 | - | — | 19 | 18 | - | 1 | — | — | - | — |
| „ East | 6 | 5 | - | — | 12(3) | 12(3) | - | — | 1 | - | — | |
| Hyde Park | 9 | 8 | - | 1 | 48 | 46 | - | - | 5 | 3 | - | 2 |
TABLE 14.
| Diphtheria. | Scarlet Fever. | Enteric Fever. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1909. | Mean. 1901-08. | 1909. | Mean. 1904-08. | 1909. | Mean. 1904-08. | |
| Removed to Hospital. | 93.7 | 96.1 | 72.4 | |||
| Fatality† | ||||||
| At Home | 4.0 | — | 14.2 | |||
| In Hospital | 7.3 | 2.2 | 11.7 | |||
| Total | 7.4 | 2.2 | 12.5 | |||
| Mortality‡ | 0.07 | 0.09 | 0.01 | |||
* Per cent, of all cases reported.
† Per cent, of attacks, after correction for erroneous diagnosis.
‡ Per 1,000 persons, all ages—based on deaths recorded during the year..
The mortality from diphtheria was 0.07 per 1,000 persons, as compared with a
quinquennial mean rate of 0.09. Taking the Registrar-General's figures (Table 10) the local
rate was 0.07, lower rates being recorded in Willesden (0.06) and Hampstead (0.05). The
mortality rates, corrected for sex-age composition of the population, are given in Table 15,
the correction being based on the metropolitan rates for 1891-1901.