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Accident, Suicide and Manslaughter.
Accidental or violent deaths during 1910 numbered 54. Of these one was
due to manslaughter and 14 to suicide. Eight babies were suffocated (overlain)
in bed.
Records of Disease
The diseases of which records are kept and which are considered here are
mainly the infectious diseases made compulsorily notifiable by the Public Health
(London) Act, 1891, Sec. 55, or by order of the London County Council. The
diseases named in the section are small-pox, cholera, diphtheria, membranous
croup, erysipelas, scarlet fever, typhus, typhoid or enteric, relapsing, continued
and puerperal fevers. Those notifiable under order of the London County
Council are cerebro-spinal fever, glanders, anthrax, and hydrophobia. In the
case of phthisis (consumption) by the Public Health (Tuberculosis) Regulations,
1908, Poor Law medical officers must notify to the Medical Officer of Health,
persons suffering from the disease and coming under their care. At the same
time, however, medical men in non-Poor Law practice are invited by the Council
to notify any cases of phthisis seen by them.
Reference is also made here to certain diseases which though infectious are
not notifiable, viz., measles, whooping cough, and diarrhoea. The records kept
of these are based chiefly upon information obtained as a result of investigations
made by the women inspectors, but partly upon returns from the schools and the
local registrars.
In Table III of the Local Government Board series much useful information
is given with regard to the notifiable diseases. Here it is proposed to
supplement these figures and to submit them to a closer examination.
Notifications.—The total number of notifications received during 1910 was
791, a figure considerably lower than that for 1909 when i,c66 notifications came
to hand, a large number being of cases of phthisis which were reported in
accordance with the requirements of the Public Health (Tuberculosis)
Regulations, 1908.
The notification rate (proportion to population of notified cases of infectious
disease, including phthisis) was 6.3 per 1,000.