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
Battersea 1925
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1925
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53
As the outbreak of measles which began late in 1925 was,
during the early part of 1926, exhibiting signs of a severe epidemic,
it will be of interest in the next annual report to record the effects
of notification and the precautionary measures taken in conjunction
therewith on the mortality-rate from this formidable disease
of child life.
The average annual death-rates from measles for each of the quinquennia from 1874 to 1923 are shown in the following table:—
| Quinquennium. | Average Death-rate. | 10 years Average. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1874-1878 | .45 | .57 | |
| 1879-1883 | .69 | ||
| 1884-1888 | .75 | .70 | |
| 1889-1893 | .64 | ||
| 1894-1898 | .77 | .69 | |
| 1899-1903 | .61 | ||
| 1904-1908 | .41 | .45 | |
| 1909-1913 | .49 | ||
| 1914-1918 | .46 | .32 | |
| 1919-1923 | .18 | ||
| 1921 | .01 | .17 (5 years 1921-5) | |
| 1922 | .39 | ||
| 1923 | .14 | ||
| 1924 | .30 | ||
| 1925 | .02 | ||
The deaths caused by measles during 1925 numbered 4, giving
a total mortality-rate at all ages of -02, as compared with 51 deaths
and a death-rate of -30 in 1924, 24 deaths and a death-rate of • 14
in 1923 and 66 deaths and a death-rate of -39 in 1922.
Whooping-Cough.
During 1925, 777 cases of whooping-cough were notified under
the Battersea (Measles and Whooping-Cough) Regulations, 1922, to
the Medical Officer of Health, and 545 additional cases were reported
from the public elementary schools and other sources.
There were 20 deaths registered from the disease, the death-rate
being 0.116, as compared with 17 deaths and a death-rate of 0.099
in 1924, 16 deaths and a death-rate of 0.095 in 1923, 22 deaths and
a mortality-rate of 0.13 in 1922, and 30 deaths and a death-rate
of 0.18 in 1921.
The total number of cases notified or otherwise reported during
1925 was 1,320, as compared with 816 in 1924, and 1,024 in 1923,
an increase of 61.8 per cent, over 1924.