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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the case of the former and 167 for the latter. For 1907 the mortalities were almost
equal, being slightly in excess of 153 in the case of the females and slightly under
that number in the case of males.
The chief causes of death amongst infants under the age of one year were
diarrhoea, enteritis and other disorders of the stomach and intestines, prematurity,
congenital defects and weakness at birth, wasting, measles, whooping cough, pneumonia,
bronchitis, various forms of tuberculosis, and suffocation in bed.
In table V. (Appendix) is contained a statement of the causes of death of infants under one year, the ages in weeks and months being given. In the subjoined table the causes of death among infants under one year of age are given for each of the eight wards of the Borough: —
| Cause of Death. | Moorfields Ward. | Church Ward. | Hoxton Ward. | Wenlock Ward. | Whitmore Ward. | Kingsland Ward. | Haggerston Ward. | Acton Ward. | Totals. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measles | 2 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 1 | .. | 29 |
| Scarlet Fever | .. | .. | 1 | .. | 1 | 2 | |||
| Diphtheria | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | 3 | ||
| Whooping Cough | 3 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 41 |
| Diarrhoea (all forms) | 8 | 15 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 9 | 57 | |
| Enteritis | 1 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 36 |
| Gastritis and Castro Intestinal Catarrh | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | 5 |
| Premature Birth | 3 | 6 | 10 | 15 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 60 | |
| Congenital Defects | .. | 7 | 6 | 2 | 3 | .. | 1 | 23 | |
| Injury at Birth | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | ||
| Want of Breast Milk | .. | 1 | 1 | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | 5 | |
| Atrophy, Debility and Marasmus | 2 | 9 | 6 | 11 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 65 |
| Tuberculous Meningitis | .. | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Tuberculous Peritonitis and Tabes Mesenterica | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | 3 | .. | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| Other Tuberculous Diseases | .. | 2 | 2 | .. | 3 | .. | 2 | .. | 9 |
| Erysipelas | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | 1 | ||
| Syphilis | 1 | 1 | 3 | .. | 1 | 2 | 2 | .. | 10 |
| Rickets | |||||||||
| Meningitis (not Tuberculous) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | ||
| Convulsions | 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 17 | ||
| Bronchitis | 10 | 16 | 11 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 63 | |
| Pneumonia | 1 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 7 | 11 | 6 | 4 | 56 |
| Suffocation, overlying | 1 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 26 |
| Other causes | 2 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 32 | |
| Totals | 16 | 97 | 100 | 90 | 107 | 50 | 51 | 58 | 569 |