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Street. Each is presided over by a specially appointed Medical Officer. One of
the Municipal Health Visitors attends the former. The Womens' League Centre
is attended by a Heath Visitor appointed by the League, who, however, submits a
weekly report to the Medical Officer of Health. The Centre at Queen Charlotte's
Hospital is open to others than St. Marylebone babies, of whom only 55 attended
and made 212 attendances. The number attending the Centre in Lisson Street was
79 and the total attendances 741.
Ante-natal work as indicated above. There are two voluntary ante-natal clinics.
Visiting is undertaken by the Municipal Health Visitors and by the workers
attached to the societies, and there is a system of co-operation with the Middlesex
and Queen Charlotte's Lying-in Hospitals.
Hospital Treatment.—Children's cases are referred from the centres to the
dispensary and hospitals, and the Queen Charlotte's Lying-in and Middlesex
Hospitals are available for ante-natal and complicated maternity cases."
During the year the Health Society, in addition to arranging for the provision of
a Dental Clinic for mothers and young children, at the old "Champion" publichouse,
and for a new Day Nursery in Exeter Street, Lisson Grove, and the reorganization
of an existing Day Nursery in Barrow-hill Road, St. John's Wood,
worked strenously to provide a nursing home for wasting babies. This institution
was not opened until after the close of 1917 as suitable premises had not been obtained.
DEATHS IN RELATION TO DISEASE.
Diarrhœal Diseases.—The total number of deaths registered as due to diarrhoea
and enteritis (inflammation of the bowels) was 27, equal to 0.29 per 1,000 of the
population.
The majority of the deaths, viz., 20, occurred amongst infants under 1 year of
age. In 1916 the number of deaths was 28, and the rate 0'28 per 1,000.
Tuberculosis.—The total deaths caused by phthisis (consumption) and other
conditions due to the germ of tuberculosis was 169. Of these, 137, were due to
phthisis; the age periods at which they occurred being 2-5 years, 3 (2.1 per cent.);
5-15, 1 (0.7 per cent.); 15-25, 19 (13.9 per cent.); 25-45, 53 (38.7 per cent.);
45-65, 48 (35 per cent.) ; 65 and over, 13 (9.5 per cent.)
Respiratory Diseases.—The number of deaths due to bronchitis, pneumonia
and other diseases of the organs of respiration was 335, and the death rate 3.61 per
1,000. Of this number, bronchitis caused 175 and pneumonia 139.
Cancer or Malignant Disease caused 153 deaths, the death-rate being 1.6 per
1,000 of the population.
INFECTIOUS OR COMMUNICABLE DISEASES.
The table with regard to these diseases will be found on page 22. The total
number of notifications received during 1917 was 2,597, the actual number of cases
notified being 2,957, the bulk being measles and German measles.
Diphtheria and Membranous Croup.—The number of cases notified was 168, of
whom 157 were removed to hospital and 9 died. The case mortality rate was
5.3 per cent. The cases were not limited to any particular "district. The number of
swabs submitted from doubtful cases for bacteriological examination was 122 and a
positive result was returned in 30 instances.