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 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Westminster, City of]
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63
Diarrhceal Diseases.— In London, deaths from the epidemic or
infective form of this disease were less than half the corrected average.
In Westminster the number of deaths was less than any previous year.
The figures for several years are shown below.
Deaths from other forms of enteritis numbered 23, which is above
the average; 20 were of infants. Probably this form was due to cold,
improper feeding, defective powers of digestion, and in some instances
this condition may have resulted from a previous attack of the epidemic
form.
The following table exhibits the particulars:—
| Westminster. | 1902. | 1903. | 1904. | 1905. | 1906. | 1907. | 1908. | 1909. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Epidemic diarrhoea | 61 | 59 | 80 | 47 | 75 | 27 | 24 | 10 |
| Other forms of enteritis | 27 | 14 | 16 | 17 | 20 | 19 | 23 | 23 |
| Total deaths | 88 | 73 | 96 | 64 | 95 | 46 | 47 | 33 |
| Number under 1 year of age | 63 | 52 | 72 | 42 | 71 | 27 | 33 | 27 |
| Number of births | 3,461 | 3,185 | 3,054 | 3,120 | 2,931 | 2,927 | 2,913 | 2,751 |
| Deaths of infants per 1,000 births | 18.2 | 16.3 | 23.5 | 13.4 | 24.2 | 9.2 | 11.4 | 9.2 |
Eight of the deaths were in St. John's Ward, 14 in Victoria. The rates per 1,000 persons for each quarter for epidemic diarrhoea and enteritis were as follows:—
| 1908. | 1st Quarter. | 2nd Quarter. | 3rd Quarter. | 4th Quarter. | The Year. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westminster | — | — | 0.20 | 0.02 | 0.05 |
| London | 0.14 | 0.12 | 0.79 | 0.25 | 0.32 |
Meteorological conditions again played an important part in keepingdown
the rate.
Influenza.— This complaint prevailed during the first half of the
year, but especially in the first three months. In Loudon the deaths
recorded from this complaint began to rise in February. During that
month they averaged about 22 a week; they rose rapidly to a maximum
of 138 deaths in March, after which they slowly declined. These
figures, however, only represent a proportion of the deaths brought
about by this complaint, many others being attributed to secondary
causes resulting from influenza.
In Westminster 43 deaths were ascribed to this cause, 24 of them
being in the first quarter of the year, 13 in the second and 5 in the
fourth.
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