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
Lambeth 1908
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Lambeth, Metropolitan Borough of]
This page requires JavaScript
37
Bearing this explanation in mind, the statistics are still
useful as showing that, year by year, the number of defects
found decreases. Taking the statistics of the Parish of
Lambeth during 10 years (1891-1900), and those for the
Borough of Lambeth during 7 years (1901-7)*, it will be
noticed that the percentage of houses showing defective
d,rains (i.e., giving a result with the test) has decreased from
22.3 in 1891 to 9.2 in 1908. Table L gives full particulars,
with the averages for the 10 years worked out, for the old
Parish of Lambeth, and comparing these with those of 1908
for the Borough of Lambeth, it will be seen that the latter
show a decrease of 52.3 per cent, below the average for the
old Parish (1891-1900- in respect of defective drains.
Sub-divided according to the different notifiable diseases, the results show as follow:—
| Disease. | No. of Infected Houses. | Number shewing Defects as to | Percentage shewing Total Defects. | Percentage shewing no Defects. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drains. | Traps, Fittings and Appliances | Total. | ||||
| Smallpox | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Cholera | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Diphtheria | 301 | 25 | 156 | 181 | 60.1 | 39.9 |
| Membranous Croup | 11 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 63.3 | 36.7 |
| Erysipelas | 200 | 13 | 90 | 103 | 51.5 | 48.5 |
| Scarlet Fever | 1228 | 115 | 692 | 807 | 65.7 | 34.3 |
| Typhus | — | — | — | — | — | _ |
| Typhoid | 62 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 51-6 | 484 |
| Continued or Relapsing | 8 | - | 2 | 2 | 66.7 | 33.3 |
| Puerperal | 10 | 2 | — | 2 | 50.0 | 50.0 |
| Cerebro-spinal Meningitis | 14 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 57.1 | 42.9 |
| Totals | 1829 | 168 | 974 | 1142 | 62.5 | 37.5 |
* The percentage of houses shewing defective drains are:—
1901—13.7; 1902—12.02; 1903—14.6; 1904—12.1; 1905—11.7; 1906
—12.6; 1907—11.03.