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 1902
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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19
diphtheria. 19
Hyde Park Ward, and 28 per cent. (the minimum for the year) in Lancaster Gate, West,
Ward. Included among the 160 cases removed to hospital were twelve of mistaken diagnosis,
while among the 51 cases treated at home, six were of the same nature. The deaths among
hospital cases numbered 18, and those among home cases, 13. In calculating the fatality
(See following Table) these erroneous diagnoses have been allowed for. In the Borough the
fatality among home-treated cases was 28.8 per cent., among those treated in hospital, 12.1.
The corresponding proportions in 1901 are given as 24.6 and 10.3 per cent. respectively, but
the figures for that year were not corrected for errors of diagnosis.
Diphtheria, 1902.
| Cases* Notified. | To Hospital. | Per cent. Notified Cases to Hospital | Deaths. At Home. In Hospital | Fatality. At Home. In Hospital | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen's Park | 55 (3) | 44 (2) | 80 | 2 | 6 | 20.0 | 14.2 |
| Queen's Park | 55 (3) | 44 (2) | 80 | 2 | 6 | 20.0 | 14.2 |
| Harrow Road | 62 (4) | 47 (2) | 75 | 3 | 6 | 23.0 | 13.3 |
| Maida Vale† | 23 (3) | 15(1) | 65 | 2 | 1 | 33.3 | 7.4 |
| Westbourne | 24 (2) | 16 (1) | 67 | 1 | — | 14.2 | — |
| Church | 25 (3) | 23 (3) | 92 | 2 | 4 | 100 | 20.0 |
| Lancaster Gate, West | 7 (1) | 2(1) | 28 | 1 | — | 20.0 | — |
| „ East | 6(1) | 5 (1) | 83 | 1 | 1 | 100 | 25.0 |
| Hyde Park | 9(1) | 8(1) | 88 | 1 | — | 100 | — |
| Borough— | |||||||
| 1902 | 211 (18) | 160 (12) | 75.8 | 13 | 18 | 28.8 | 12.1 |
| 1901 | 343 | 270 | 78.7 | 18 | 28 | 24.6 | 10.3 |
*The figures in parentheses indicate the numbers of cases erroneously diagnosed as Diphtheria.
†There were 4 deaths in all in this Ward, but one death, the illness not having been notified, has been excluded
from this Table.
The mortality from diphtheria was at the rate of 0.21 per 1,000 persons of all ages last
year, being 0.09 less than in 1902 (0.31). In the Metropolis the mortality was 0.25) per 1,000,
or 0.04 less than in 1901 (0.29). In comparison with the mortalities prevailing in the
adjacent districts (See Table 21) the rate for the Borough last year (0.22) exceeded all the
other rates except those of the Metropolis (0.25) and of Willesden (0.41). High as the
mortality was, comparatively speaking, it compares favourably with any of the rates of the
main sub-divisions of the country given in Table 22, being lower than all other rates except
that of "Rest of England and Wales " i.e., the Rural Districts (0.20).
The decennial mean rate for the Borough was 0.44, a trifle more than the double of the
rate of last year (See Table 23). The mean rate for the five years 1892-1896 was 0.51, and
that for the five years 1897-1901, 0.37. The decennial figures for the Wards are not available.
In the Registration Sub-Districts the mean rates for each of the quinquennia and the decennium
were, with one exception, considerably above those for last year, as appears from the
appended tabular statement:—
Diphtheria.
Death-rates per 1,000 persons, all ages.
1902.
Borough 0.21
St. Mary 0.49
St. John 0.44
North-West Paddington 0.45
Mean Rates.
Ten years. Five years. Five years.
1892-1901. 1892-1896. 1897-1901.
0.44 0.51 0.37
0.56 0.08 0.45
0.19 0.30 0.08
0.60 0.53 0.67