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
Dagenham 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Dagenham]
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Deaths of older children: —
| Disease. | 3-6 months. | 6-12 months. | 1-2 years. | 2-3 years. | 3-4 years. | 4-5 years. | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M | F | M | F | M | F | M | M | M | M | F | ||
| Developmnetal | ||||||||||||
| Congenital Heart | 1 | _— | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Congenital Hydro | ||||||||||||
| cephalus ...... | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Infections. | ||||||||||||
| hooping Cough ... | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | — | 3 | — | 2 | 1 | — |
| Measles | — | — | — | — | 3 | 9 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| Diphtheria | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 1 |
| Chest Conditions . | 5 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 1 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Tberculosis... | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| Meningococcal | ||||||||||||
| Meningitis | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| Gastro-enteritis | 5 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Accidents | — | —_— | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | —_ | 3 | — |
| Various | 1 | — | 3 | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | 3 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 14 | 9 | 27 | 25 | 24 | 18 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 3 | ||
This table shows the diminishing importance of developmental
conditions in the causation of deaths of infants with
advancing age, and the relatively greater damage done by
the infections.
Gastro-enteritis, which did not figure as a cause of death
under one month, appeared within the next two months and is
very marked up to the age of 12 months. After this, it had
little effect and caused no deaths amongst those over the
age of 2. Of the total number of deaths from this cause
50 per cent. occurred in the two months September and Octoher
The onset of these would be associated with the hot
weather occurring during September, in which month diarrhœa
amongs infants was very common. This hot period was ac-
companied by an excessive prevalence of flics. The change to
the older weather early in October led to the cessation of
the enteritis and of the prevalence of flies. Practically all these
fatal cases were of children who, although mostly under nine
months old, were artificially fed. Of the 5 cases occurring
on the last two months of the year, 5 were attributable to
measles from which the children had suffered in November.
Pulmonary Diseases caused a large number of deaths
(23) in the last 9 months of the first year, 14 in the second