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
Barking 1905
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barking]
This page requires JavaScript
31
With reference to the above tables, I should like to draw attention
to the ages at which the cases of Scarlet Fever and
Diphtheria occurred.
I find that out of 98 cases of Scarlet Fever, 2 occurred under one
year, and 7 over 15 years, the remaining 8 cases occurring between
the ages of 1 and 15, in other words, at the age when children
are congregated in schools. Again, I find that with respect to Diphtheria
116 cases were notified in all, 100 of which occurred between
1 and 15. Add to these the number of children who contract
Measles, Whooping Cough, Chicken Pox, &c., and the outlook is
anything but pleasant for the rising generation. To my mind
these figures raise a question of primary importance in connection
with school attendance, and one which should be earnestly
approached by the responsible authority.
The following figures give some idea of the extent the infectious disease prevail in this district:
| Number of cades 1896-1905 | Average death rate 1896-1905 | Death rate 1905 | Case rate per 1000 of estimated pop. for year 1905 | Average case rate per 1000 1896-1905. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever | 781 | .05 | 0.00 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Diphtheria | 947 | .3 | .5 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| Enteric Fever | 345 | — | 0.00 | .5 | 1.4 |
| Measles | — | .5 | .5 | — | — |
It will be clear from this table that Scarlet Fever and Enteric
Fever are very low and have a great tendency to decrease and that
Diphtheria and Measles remain about stationary, perhaps in the
case of the former shewing some tendency to increase both in numberand
fatality.
Scarlet Fever.
There has not been anything approaching to an epidemic of
this disease daring the year. The number of cases has been about
the average in proportion to the population, which has attained in
this district during the past ten years. There were no deaths during
the year, though several cases were very severe.