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 1906
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
This page requires JavaScript
26
TUBERCULAR DISEASES
The average number of persons per room in the above homes is given below, the figures
for last year being compared with those for 1905 and 1904.
Average number of persons per Home.
| Phthisis homes. | All homes. Borough Census, 1901. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906. | 1905. | 1904. | ||
| Homes of 1 room | 2.2 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.8 |
| „ 2 rooms | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 1.7 |
| „ 3 „ | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.3 |
| 4 ,, | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.1 | 1.2 |
| All the above | 1.4 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 1.4 |
The changes in the averages are unexpected, the worst feature being the increase in
density of occupation of the homes of one room, which now exceeds, instead of being less
than the average for the whole Borough. The other homes shows a progressive improvement.
The proportion of deaths occurring in each class of home were as follows:—
| Percentage of Deaths. | Percentage of such homes to all homes. Census, 1901. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1906. | 1905. | 1904. | ||
| Homes of 1 room | 23.8 | 28.5 | 29.2 | 14.9 |
| „ 2 rooms | 32.5 | 22.3 | 24.1 | 19.8 |
| „ 3 „ | 19.0 | 24.1 | 24.8 | 19.4 |
| „ 4 „ | 14.2 | 15.1 | 10.2 | 10.6 |
In 11 instances only were the one-room homes occupied by single persons, which means
that the remaining 19 were occupied by 55 persons, averaging 2.9 persons per room. In such
homes the provision of a separate bed is practically an unknown luxury. In the other
homes, 34 of the deceased persons had separate bedrooms but only 16 had separate beds.
Previous cases of the disease were known to have occurred at 36 of the houses included
in the returns of last year. In seven of those houses 2 previous cases had occurred and
in one, three.
Insanitary conditions were discovered at 19 houses, viz. :—
Damp—12. Dirt—8. Dilapidations—2.
The occupations of the deceased persons are set out on page 27.
Other Tubercular Diseases.—These include, among others, "tubercular disease of the
brain (acute hydrocephalus)," "Abdominal tuberculosis (tabes mesenterica)," and "general
tuberculosis." The deaths from these three forms last year numbered 23, 9 and 13
respectively, there being in addition 10 other deaths from tubercular diseases not included
under the headings specified. In the appended statement the first two varieties have been
kept separate, and all the others grouped under the single heading "other forms of tuberculosis."
The numbers of deaths last year compare favourably with the averages for the
preceding five years.
Tubercular Disease
of the Brain.
Abdominal
Tuberculosis.
Other forms of
Tuberculosis.
1906 23 9 23
Average, 1901-05 26 10 23
The combined mortality was at the rate of 0.36 per 1,000 persons. Although these
forms of tuberculosis are specially prevalent among the younger members of the community,
no correction factors have, as yet, been calculated. A comparison with the mortalities
(nett rates only) in other districts is made in Table 10 (q.v.). In Westminster only was last
year's rate above the quinquennial mean.