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
Bethnal Green 1898
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green]
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On the other hand the deaths from scarlet fever and diphtheria show
a well-marked decrease. This indicates the good results which
follow early removal of infectious sick to hospital, and the prompt
and careful subsequent disinfection of premises and bedding. The
number of enteric and diarrhoea deaths vary very little in the two
years.
The death rate from these seven zymotic diseases is 3.8 against 3.4
in 1897, whilst the corresponding rates for London are 2.5 in 1897
and 2.7 in 1898.
Table F shows the percentage of deaths from each disease as
compared with the total number of zymotic deaths.
TABLE F.
| Small Pox | per cent., or 0 in 49G deaths. |
| Measles | 3044 „ 1 in 328 |
| Scarlatina | 2 21 ,, ,, 45 08 ,, |
| Diphtheria.. | 1290 .. .. 774 .. |
| Whooping Ccugh | 2218 ,, ,, 450 ,, |
| Typhus Fever | — — |
| Enteric Fever | 342 ,, .. 2918 |
| Simple Fever | — - |
| Diarrhœa | 2884 „ ,, 346 |
NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
Twelve hundred and seventy notification certificates have been
forwarded to me by Medical Practitioners, giving a rate of 9-8 on
the estimated population. Seventy-seven of the certificates were
duplicate notifications. Table M. 11(B) in the appendix shows the
part of the parish in which the residence of the sick person was
situated, and Table G gives particulars of the numbers of cases
month by month, together with the hospital admissions and discharges.
The duplicate notifications form about six per cent of the
whole.