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85
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
The death-rate per 1,000 for the year was .39, compared with
'29 in 1901. The death-rate for all London was '50, compared
with .42 per 1,000 in 1901.
The death-rate during 1902, although higher than the three
previous years, cannot be considered excessive, as during the last
20 years this rate has been exceeded 11 times, the highest rate
being in 1896 when it was '76 per 1,000. The highest rate
recorded was in 1866 when it was .85 per 1,000
An examination of the death-rates from the year 1857 shows
that the relationship between the deaths under and over five
years of age has been altered, chiefly, in my opinion, by school
attendance. Previous to the year 1871 the ratio of the death-rate
under five to that over five years was as six to one, and from 1892
to 1901, as 15 to one.
If the case mortality under and over five years has remained
the same, then this points to a largely increased mortality of
children under legal school age. It also shows that the aggregating
of children in babies and infants classes in schools has a
tendency to keep up the mortality of Measles.
There is no doubt that the case mortality of children under
five is higher than over five from this disease, and if the incidence
could be postponed till the children were over the latter age the
death-rate would be very much lowered.
The following Table shows the number of Measles and other
non-notifiable diseases notified to me by the teachers in the
elementary schools in the Borough.
Although not by any means giving a correct estimate of the
number of these cases occurring in the Borough, yet it is much
more exact than the same Table in last year's report.
It is to be noted that the number of cases of Chicken-pox
notified from schools is much under the number of actually
notified under the Act, the notification of this disease being made
compulsory from the 7th February.
In all 3,158 cases were notified, compared with 1,327 in 1901.