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

Croydon 1910

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Croydon]

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Table: The quarterly incidence of cases and deaths in 1910 and previous years is shown in the following table:—Diphtheria.

The quarterly incidence of cases and deaths in 1910 and previous years is shown in the following table:—

Diphtheria.

Year.
1904.1905.1906.1907.1908.1909.1910.
Notified Cases—
1 st quarter501006093*10112461
2nd „38424249897557
3rd „98445459927840
4th „126801488412379109
Registered deaths-
1 st quarter4131321*11131
2nd „4253746
3rd „6295746
4th „10813111238

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*Not including a fatal case admitted to General Hospital from Mitcham and thence
transferred to the Borough Hospital.
It will be seen that the number of cases is much smaller than in
any of the preceding 6 years with the exception of 1905, when the
number was also 267, but arising from a smaller population.
Taking the previous 10 years into consideration the number of deaths is
also less than in any year except 1903.
RELATION OF DIPHTHERIA TO DRAINAGE DEFECTS.
Two hundred and sixty-seven notified cases occurred in 227
houses. In 8 instances the drains were not examined. The following
is the result of the examination of the drains of the remaining 219
houses:—
Number of houses where no defects were found:—161, or
73.5 per cent.
Number of houses where serious defects were found :—16, or
7.3 per cent.
Number of houses where slight defects were found:—42, or
19.1 per cent.
The proportion of houses infected with diphtheria that were found
to have serious defects in their drains was 7.3, a figure which is rather
less than those found in 1907 and 1908. This figure confirms the view
previously expressed that drainage defects are not an important factor
in the causation of diphtheria