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
Kensington 1908
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
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24
WHOOPING-COUGH.
Whooping cough was the cause of 7 deaths, compared with 60, 20, and 81 in the preceding
three years; 5 of them in the Town sub-district; the corrected decennial average being 51. All
of the deaths were of children under 5 years of age.
All of the cases reported by school teachers (44 in number) were visited by the lady sanitary
inspectors. In addition to the cases reported by school teachers, other 13 were found in the houses
visited. An advisory leaflet was left with each family, pointing out the serious nature of the
disease—a fact which the inspectors think is becoming better recognised by mothers, leading to
more care of the sufferers.
The deaths from whooping-cough in London, as a whole, were 984, and approximately 788
below the corrected average.
FEVER.
Thirty-six cases of Enteric Fever were notified, compared with 49, 38, and 40 in the preceding
three years. The deaths were 5 (7 below the corrected decennial average), 4 of them belonging to
the Town sub-district; 4 of them took place in hospitals, to which 28 cases were removed. The
deaths from this cause in the preceding three years were 13, 5, and 5 respectively.
Enteric Fever in Kensington, 1898-1908.
| Year | Cases Notified. | Case-rate per 1,000 of population. | Deaths. | Death-rate per 1.000 of population. | Case-mortality per cent. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | 104 | 0.60 | 12 | 0.07 | 11.5 |
| 1899 | 107 | 0.62 | 23 | 0.13 | 21.5 |
| 1900 | 104 | 0.60 | 16 | 0.09 | 15.4 |
| 1901 | 97 | 0.55 | 11 | 0.06 | 11.3 |
| 1902 | 80 | 0.45 | 19 | 0.11 | 23.7 |
| 1903 | 61 | 0.34 | 9 | 0.05 | 14.8 |
| 1904 | 46 | 0.26 | 6 | 0.03 | 13.0 |
| 1905 | 49 | 0.27 | 13 | 0.07 | 26.5 |
| 1906 | 38 | 0.21 | 5 | 0.03 | 13.2 |
| 1907 | 40 | 0.22 | 5 | 0.03 | 12.5 |
| 1908 | 36 | 0.20 | 5 | 0.03 | 13.9 |
The deaths in London, as a whole, 225, were 263 below the corrected decennial average;
the notifications 1,350 compared with 1,396 in 1907; the admissions to hospitals 723 (compared
with 587, 700, and 541 in the preceding three years). At the close of the year 153 patients remained
under treatment, as against 78, 135, and 119 at the corresponding period of the preceding three years.
No case of typhus was notified in the Borough, and only four cases in all London; there
was no death from this cause.
No death was registered in the Borough from simple continued fever (Pyrexia); one case
was notified. The deaths and notifications in London from this cause were 2 and 13 respectively.
DIARRHCEA.
Diarrhoea was the cause of 88 deaths, compared with 90, 142, and 30 in the preceding three
years; 84 in the Town sub-district and 4 in Brompton; the corrected decennial average being
102.
The deaths in London, as a whole, from this cause, were 2,592 and approximately 1,208
below the corrected decennial average (3,800).