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

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Hendon 1923

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hendon]

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39-42
The following tables are designed to show the relation between housing conditions and the incidence of certain Infectious
Diseases.
The word "Tenement" is used to mean a suite of one or more rooms occupied by one "family unit" and may include
the whole or only part of a house.
"Family unit" means a group of persons living together as one family whether they are actually all members
of the same family or not, e.g., It includes a lodger who lives with the family and does not
merely hire a room from them. It also includes domestic servants living in.
" Unprotected " person means a person not known to have previously suffered from the disease in question.
The tables refer to private families only—cases occurring in institutions, hotels, etc., have been omitted.

TABLE X.

1 room.2 rooms.Tenements of 3 rooms. 4 rooms.5 rooms.Over 5 rooms.
Population (1921 census) living in tenements of various sizes1077251086888038888223376
Cases of the following diseases occuring in these tenements:-
Scarlet Fever...3129430
Diphtheria6521191648
SCARLET FEVER.Unprotected persons under 15 years of age living in in the invaded tenements...32521647
Number of cases occurring among these persons...2117321
Attack rate per 1,000 among these persons...666440333500446
DIPHTHERIAUnprotected persons under 15 years of age living in the invaded tenements61559442286
Number of cases occurring among these persons5516181333
Attack rate per 1,000 among these persons833333271409590383
Up to one person per room.Over one and up to 2 persons per room.2 More than persons per room.
Population (1921 census) living in tenements showing various conditions of density of occupation34,13614,8323,603
Cases of the following diseases in families living under varying conditions of density, in 1923: —
Scarlet Fever30244
Diphtheria514419
SCARLET FEVER.Unprotected persons under 15 years of age living in the invaded tenements in 1923484611
Number of cases occurring among these persons22193
Attack rate per 1,000 among these persons458413272
DIPHTHERIAUnprotected persons under 15 years of age living in the invaded tenements in 1923739464
Number of cases occurring among these persons353916
Attack rate per 1,000 among these persons479414250

The facts recorded by these tables may be of some interest but the numbers in the various columns are too small to
allow of any deductions being drawn from them.
MULTIPLE CASES.—
Scarlet Fever. 2 families 2 cases each.
1 family 3 cases.
Diphtheria. 8 families 2 cases each.
4 families 3 cases each.
1 family 4 cases.