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
City of Westminster 1905
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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51
(3) Non-notifiable Diseases.
Measles.—Forty-four deaths (47 in 1903, 23 in 1904) were
attributed to this cause in 1905 in the City.
During the year only 412 cases came to my knowledge, 390 having
been notified by school teachers, 22 by medical men and others, chiefly
in May, June, and July.
The deaths calculated on the total population were:—
| 1901. | 1902. | 1903. | 1901. | 1905. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Westminster | 0.32 | 0.23 | 0.26 | 0.13 | 0.25 |
| County of London | 0 .43 | 0.51 | 0.44 | 0.49 | 0.37 |
As 42 of the deaths in Westminster, and the bulk of those in London, occurred in children under five years of age, it affords a better comparison to calculate the deaths on the number of children estimated to be living under five years of age:—
| 1901. | 1902. | 1903. | 1904. | 1905. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| City of Westminster | 4.6 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 1.8 | 3.5 |
| County of London | 3.7 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 4.4 | 3.3 |
The deaths were distributed as follows:—28 in St. John's, 8 in
Victoria, 3 in St. Margaret's, and 1 each in Grosvenor, Knightsbridge,
Great Marlborough, Eegent, and St. Anne Wards.
Disinfection was carried out after 36 cases of measles, but there
does not appear to be the same risk of infection being retained in
rooms or on articles of clothing as in scarlet fever. All the cases
coming to my knowledge were visited chiefly by the Women Inspectors.
Very little care appears to be given by parents to children suffering
from measles or whooping cough, and generally no medical man had
been called in until pneumonia or some other serious complication had
supervened.
Where it can be managed, it is preferable to exclude non-protected
children only, rather than close a department. By this method no
interruptions need take place in the studies of the elder children even
if there is measles among the younger members of the family.