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
Shoreditch 1907
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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0.03 in 1906, 0.01 in 1905, 0.07 in 1904, 0.11 in 1903, 0.20 in 1902, 0.08 in 1901,
and 0.11 in 1900. The death-rate from this disease was, therefore, below the average
for the years mentioned.
The case-mortality was at the rate of 17.6 per cent, of the cases certified, but,
deducting the cases which were not regarded as enteric fever, the mortality amounted
to 20.6 per cent The case-mortality for 1906 was 10 per cent., and those for
previous years are given in the annual report for 1905. During the past fifteen years
the mortality has averaged 14.5 per cent. of the cases certified in the Borough.
The distribution of the cases certified, and deaths amongst males and females in the Borough and the eight wards thereof during 1907 is shown in the subjoined table:—
| Wards. | ENTERIC FEVER. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Notifications. | Fatal Cases. | |||||
| Male. | Female. | Total. | Male. | Female. | Total. | |
| Moorfields | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | .. | .. |
| Church | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | .. | 1 |
| Hoxton | 3 | 3 | 1 | .. | 1 | |
| Wenlock | 2 | 2 | 4 | .. | 1 | 1 |
| Whitmore | 3 | 4 | 7 | .. | 1 | 1 |
| Kingsland | 2 | 6 | 8 | . . | 1 | 1 |
| Haggerston | .. | 4 | 4 | .. | 1 | 1 |
| Acton | 1 | 2 | 3 | .. | .. | .. |
| Total for Borough | 14 | 20 | 34 | 2 | 6 | |
The cases are grouped according to ages in Table III. (Appendix). Of the
cases certified, 32, or 94 per cent., were removed to hospital for treatment.
The usual enquiries were made with a view to tracing the sources of infection
of the cases. The following instances came under observation in which infection
appeared to have resulted from previous cases in the Borough:—
May S-, aged 24, a nurse in the Shoreditch Infirmary, was taken ill about
January 14th, and certified to be suffering from enteric fever on February 1st.
She was nursing a patient who was admitted to the infirmary on December 22nd
and certified to have enteric fever on December 30th of last year. It is not an
uncommon thing for nurses to contract the disease from patients suffering from
enteric fever.
The following cases occurred at No. 9, P- Street, a house in a fair sanitary
condition generally, but having defects in connection with the drains.