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
London County Council 1912
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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32 Annual Report of the London County Council, 1912.
In several of the reports there are references to the number of houses in which more than one case of the disease occurred. This information is given in the following table:—
| Metropolitan borough. | Number of houses. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One case. | Two cases. | Three cases. | Four cases. | Five cases and upwards. | |
| Westminster, City of | 141 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - |
| Fulham | 200 | 11 | 3 | - | - |
| Hampstead | 100 | 17 | 7 | - | - |
| Islington | 402 | 24 | 10 | 4 | 1 |
| Holborn | 58 | 6 | 1 | - | - |
| Wandsworth | 317 | 29 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
In the report for 1910 reference was made to the Order of the Local Government Board, sanctioning
the supply of anti-toxin by local authorities. This subject is dealt with in some of the reports
of medical officers of health, one making mention of the fact that no applications were received, whilst
14 refer to the supply of anti-toxin for curative and prophylactic purposes.
Bacteriological
diagnosis.
Information concerning the number of specimens examined for diphtheria bacilli at the expens of the sanitary authorities is contained in the reports relating to the following districts:—
| Metropolitan borough. | Number of specimens examined. | Number found positive. | Metropolitan borough. | Number of specimens examined. | Number found positive. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddington | 530 | 94 | Shoreditch | 45 | 18 |
| Kensington | 340 | 52 | Bethnal Green | 133 | 38 |
| Fulham | 216 | 56 | Stepney | 103 | 21 |
| Chelsea | 160 | 44 | Poplar | 228 | 78 |
| Westminster, City of | 157 | 19 | Southwark | 188 | 32 |
| St. Marylebone | 160 | 31 | Bermondsey | 596 | 52 |
| Hampstead | 247 | 68 | Lambeth | 497 | 55 |
| St. Pancras | 317 | 127 | Battersea | 554 | 135 |
| Islington | 435 | 137 | Wandsworth | 808 | 233 |
| Stoke Newington | 128 | 43 | Deptford | 313 | 71 |
| Hackney | 258 | 63 | Greenwich | 1,590 | 240 |
| Holborn | 51 | 18 | Lewisham | 531 | 244 |
| Finsbury | 89 | 22 | Woolwich | 1,231 | 320 |
| London, City of | 6 | 2 |
It will be seen from diagram (N) that the proportion of cases of diphtheria removed to the
hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board was about the same as in the preceding year.
Cases notified as diphtheria and admitted into the hospitals of the Metropolitan Asylums Board,
but in which the diagnosis was not subsequently confirmed, constituted the
Diphtheria
—diagnosis
not confirmed.
following percentage of total cases admitted in successive years:—
| Year. | Percentage. | Year. | Percentage. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 12.8 | 1907 | 17.0 |
| 1902 | 13.5 | 1908 | 18.1 |
| 1903 | 14.7 | 1909 | 16.8 |
| 1904 | 16.1 | 1910 | 14.2 |
| 1905 | 18.0 | 1911 | 13.5 |
| 1906 | 15.5 | 1912 | 13.8 |
Whooping-cough.
The deaths from whooping-cough in the Administrative County of London during the year 1912
(62 weeks) numbered 970, as compared with 1,038 in 1911 (52 weeks).