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 1907
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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51
Whooping Cough.— This complaint was responsible for 27 deaths,
all of them of children under five years of age. Two hundred and
fifty-one cases were notified to me, all from schools (for particulars as
to schools affected see list below). Disinfection was carried out in one
instance only.
The complaint is most fatal in the first six months of the year, when
the weather is cold, and there is thus more risk of bronchial and lung
troubles supervening. Very little care appears to be taken with the
majority of children suffering from this disease, with the result that the
mortality from it is higher than scarlet fever and diphtheria.
The death-rates per 1,000 persons in each of the four quarters were:—
| 1st Q,uarter. | 2nd Quarter. | 3rd Quarter. | 4th Quarter. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | 0.11 | 0.39 | 0.09 | 0.02 |
| London | 0.45 | 0.56 | 0.30 | 0.18 |
Particulars relative to this disease for the years 1901-7 are:—
| 1901. | 1902. | 1903. | 1904. | 1905. | 1906. | 1907. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | |||||||
| Cases notified | 8 | 145 | 83 | 56 | 210 | 92 | 251 |
| Deaths | 48 | 34 | 33 | 17 | 35 | 23 | 27 |
| Deaths per 1,000 | |||||||
| population | 0.26 | 0.18 | 0.18 | 0.09 | 0.19 | 0.13 | 0 15 |
| London | 0.35 | 0.40 | 0.35 | 0 33 | 0.32 | 0.26 | 0.38 |
The five-yearly average death-rate being 033 for London, 0.15 for
Westminster.
Calculated on the number of children under five years of age, the death-rates per 1,000 were:—
| Westminster | 3.67 | 2.65 | 2.63 | 1.37 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 2.2 |
| London | 3.23 | 3.65 | 3.22 | 2.9 | 2 .9 | 2.3 | 3.4 |
Leaflets giving instructions with reference to the care necessary to
be taken in cases of measles and whooping cough are freely distributed
to parents. Attention is also called to the danger of exposing
children to infection.