London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Finchley 1895

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Finchley]

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21
Whooping Cough and Measles.
The Death-rate from Whooping Cough, which was abnormally
high for the year 1894 (o.61 as against 0.48 for London
generally and the 33 great Towns) was equally high for this past
year. In my last annual Report I expressed my opinion that
something should be done to stay this in a great measure preventable
mortality, and I pointed out that Whooping Cough and
Measles generally together caused more deaths than Small-pox,
Diphtheria, and Typhoid Fever combined, and that it was desir.
able that any measure taken against Whooping Cough should at
the same time embrace Measles. As you are aware, some
Authorities have added Measles to the list of diseases that are
compulsorily notifiable. I do not favour such a step, for in
return for much greater trouble and a heavier expense I do not
believe it would result in as much good as some simple action on
other lines. There are many reasons adverse to the compulsory
notification of Measles and Whooping Cough, unless at the same
time the means of isolation can be offered, as in Scarlet Fever,
etc., and I would point out that if notification of measles is
unsound in theory it is also most discouraging in effect. During
the past four years a small percentage of the Sanitary Authorities
in England and Wales have included measles in the list of
notifiable diseases, and what has been the result of the experiment
? In the majority of cases the Medical Officers of
Health either candidly acknowledge that they have reaped no
advantage and that the measure is a useless one, or they express
their doubts as to its utility; and in no instance has there been
sufficient evidence adduced as would suffice to convince you that
the measure has brought about a reduction in the Measles
mortality. In some cases, it is true, there was a falling off in the
mortality during the year following the adoption of its compulsory
notification, but it must be borne in mind that in these
cases the notification was adopted during a period of great
epidemic prevalence, and that in the nature of things there would
be a falling off in the number of cases during the following year,
or perhaps two—for some time must elapse before another batch
of susceptible children gets into the community.