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 1908
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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34
WHOOPING COUGH.
The variations in the mortality recorded in the different Wards are shown below.
| Queen's Park. | Harrow Road. | Maida Vale. | Westbourne. | Church. | Lancaster Gate, | Hyde Park. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West. | East. | |||||||
| 1908 ... | 0.47 | 0.19 | 0.04 | 0.34 | 0.31 | 0.11 | - | 0.14 |
| 1903-07 | ||||||||
WHOOPING COUGH.
This disease was non-epidemic during the year and the 170 cases reported constituted
the smallest total on record, but was only one case less than the number reported in 1906.
The diminution in the number of cases reported is the more satisfactory as it is believed that
more attention has been given during the past year to reporting cases.
The numbers of cases reported in each quarter of the past six years are given below.
| Quarters | 1. | 2. | 3. | 4. | Year. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uncorrected. | Corrected. | |||||
| 1903 | 35 | 339 | 533 | |||
| 1904 | 23 | 27 | 45 | 98 | 193 | 196 |
| 1905 | 241 | 255 | 38 | 36 | 570 | 540 |
| 1906 | 57 | 65 | 26 | 26 | 174 | 171 |
| 1907 | 189 | 305 | 73 | 48 | 615 | 589 |
| 1908 | 34 | 65 | 37 | 35 | 171 | 170 |
The 170 cases occurred in 101 houses, giving an average of 1.6 cases per house, the
averages in the three preceding years having been T7, 1.9 and T6. The frequency of multiple
cases is indicated in the appended tabular statement.
The secondary cases numbered 69, equal to 40.5 per cent. of the total.
| 1908. | 1907. | 1906. | 1905. | 1904. | 1903. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houses with 2 cases | 22 | 99 | 31 | 93 | 29 | 71 |
| „ 3 „ | 49 | 17 | 44 | 12 | 44 | |
| „ 4 „ | 5 | 4 | 13 | 5 | ||
| „ 5 „ | — | 4 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 8 |
| „ 6 „ | — | 1 | — | — | 2 | 2 |
| „ 7 „ | — | — | — | 1 | — | 1 |
The deaths from whooping cough numbered 11, viz., 7 of males and 4 of females. The
fatality of the disease was at the rate of 6.5 per cent., the lowest recorded since 1903, when
statistics of this disease were first compiled. The fatality among females (4.3) was half the
average for the preceding five years (8.6), while that among males (8.8) was equal to the
average.
| Fatality per cent. of cases. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908. | 1907. | 1906. | 1905. | 1904. | 1903. | |
| Males | 8.8 | 8.0 | ||||
| Females | ||||||
| Persons | ||||||
In Table 24 the cases and deaths have been distributed according to the residences of the
patients (in Wards). The fatalities in Harrow Road (10.5) and Church (12.5) Wards were the
only two in excess of the averages. In Table 25 the sex and age-groups fatalities are given.