London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
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
This page requires JavaScript
mortality of childhood. 47
Between the 26th of July and the last day of October, 205 children were reported to the
Department as suffering with diarrhoea, but the actual number of cases investigated was only
163, 82 being in boys and 81 in girls. The sources of information were : St. Mary's Hospital,
89 cases; Children's Hospital, Paddington Green, 34; Poor Law Service, 13; Staff of Department
(cases discovered in course of other work), 11; and other (lay) sources, 16. There were
six (6) deaths among the 163 children, one being due to a cause other than diarrhoea. The
fatality works out at 3 per cent., which is a remarkably low rate, but not much below that
given in connection with the notification of the disease in 1908 (3.6 per cent.). It is difficult
to reconcile such low fatalities with the experience of Woolwich, where a mean fatality of
15'8 per cent. was observed during the four years 1905-08. The number of cases dealt with
last year was too small for a detailed analysis. It will suffice to call attention to the small
proportion of breast-fed children attacked and dying of the malady. (See Table 37 page 49).
In 42 cases there was a historv of the consumption of fruit or some unwholesome comestible.
The most interesting information collected last year related to the frequency of multiple
cases (reported and not reported) in houses, the facts relating to which are set out in the
appended statements. The infectious, or contagious, character of the disease(s) seems to be
fairly demonstrated.
MULTIPLE CASES REPORTED.
| No. of Case | Initials. | Sex. | Age. Yr. | Dates of | No. of Case | Initials. | Sex. | Age. Yr. | Dates of | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Onset. | Recovery(R) Death (D) | Onset. | Recovery(R) Death (D) | ||||||||
| 1 | G.P. | M | 1 | 30, viii. | R. 13, ix. | 10 | C.P. | F | 1 | 2, viii. | R. 24, viii. |
| F.J. | M | 1 | 10, x. | R. 20 x. | K.B. | F | 10/12 | 22, viii. | P. 7, ix. | ||
| 2 | W.H. | M | 8/12 | 23, viii. | R. 30, viii. | 11 | J.M. | M | 8/12 | 20 viii. | R. 30, viii. |
| A.E. | M | 11/12 | 5, ix. | R. 7, ix. | G.M. | M | 8/12 | 24, viii. | R. 30, viii. | ||
| 3 | J.S. | M | 1 | 5, ix. | D. 9, ix. | 12 | G.A. | F | 3/12 | 30, viii. | R. 13, x. |
| A.M. | M | 7/52 | 11, ix. | R. 20, ix. | A.A. | M | 3/12 | 1, ix. | D. 24, ix. | ||
| 4 | F.McC. | M | 10/12 | 21, viii. | R. 3, ix. | 13 | F.F. | M | 1 | 14, viii. | R. 1, ix. |
| M.A. | F | 1 | 2, x. | R. 8, x. | W.A. | F | 1 | 22, viii. | R. 1, ix. | ||
| 5 | E.M. | M | 10/12 | 19, vii. | R. 29, vii. | 14 | L.H. | F | 6/12 | 19, ix. | R. 29, ix. |
| M.W. | F | 6/12 | 11, ix. | R. 4, x. | D.W. | F | 1 | 11, ix. | R. 3, xii. | ||
| 6 | A.M. | M | 1 | 15, viii. | R. 6, ix. | 15 | F.G. | F | 1 | 20, viii. | R. 30, viii. |
| R.B. | F | 2 | 13, ix. | R. 27, ix. | E.G. | F | 1/12 | 10, xi. | D. 13, xi. | ||
| 7 | A.J. | F | 3 | 5, vii. | R. 10, vii. | L.G. | F | 1/12 | 13, xi. | D. 17, xi. | |
| A.H. | M | 5/12 | ? | D. 12, ix. | 16 | K.C. | F | 11/12 | 12, ix. | R. 24, ix. | |
| 8 | V.Ba. | F | 5/12 | 5, ix. | R. 27, ix. | A.W. | F | 11/12 | 8, x. | R. 18, x. | |
| W.Bu. | M | 1 | 12, ix. | R. 22 x. | 17 | F.A. | F | 1 | 20, viii. | D. 6, x. | |
| 9 | E.H. | F | 1 | 12, ix. | R. 12, xi. | J.B. | M | 6/12 | 26, viii. | R. 16, ix. | |
| E.D. | M | 1 | 17, ix. | R. 29, ix. | |||||||
Notes.—Case No. 11.—The father of the patients reported to have had an attack of diarrhoea about
17th August.
Case No. 14.—Recovery of D.W. delayed by relapse. L.H. also had a relapse after September 29th, and did
not finally recover until October 19th.