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 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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In the subjoined table the causes of death among infants under one year 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 | .. | 8 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 34 |
| Scarlet Fever | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| Diphtheria | 1 | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 4 |
| Whooping Cough . . | .. | 5 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 28 | |
| Diarrhoea (all forms) | 1 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 16 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 59 |
| Enteritis | 1 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 27 | |
| Gastritis and Gastro Intestinal Catarrh.. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | 2 |
| Premature Birth | .. | 19 | 9 | 8 | 15 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 78 |
| Congenital Defects | .. | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 23 |
| Injury at Birth | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 1 |
| Want of Breast Milk | .. | .. | .. | .. | 2 | 1 | .. | .. | 3 |
| Atrophy, Debility and | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. |
| Marasmus | 2 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 20 | 6 | 11 | 6 | 75 |
| Tuberculous Meningitis | .. | 3 | 1 | 1 | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | 7 |
| Tuberculous Peritonitis and Tabes Mesenterica | .. | 1 | .. | 3 | 1 | 1 | .. | .. | 6 |
| Other Tuberculous Diseases | .. | 2 | 2 | 1 | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 6 |
| Erysipelas | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 3 | 1 | .. | 1 | 6 |
| Syphilis | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | .. | .. | 8 |
| Pickets | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 2 |
| Meningitis (not Tuberculous) | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 2 |
| Convulsions | , , | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .. | .. | .. | 8 |
| Bronchitis | 1 | .. | 7 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 31 |
| Pneumonia | 4 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 56 |
| Suffocation, over- tying | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 18 |
| Other causes | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 28 |
| Totals | 15 | 96 | 71 | 68 | 108 | 55 | 57 | 42 | 512 |
The infantile mortalities of the eight wards of the Borough are contained
in Table VII. (Appendix). The highest infantile mortality was in Whitmore
Ward, where it amounted to 182 per 1,000 births. The lowest was in Acton
Ward, where it was 102. The next lowest was in Moorfields, where it was
113 per 1,000 births.
The infantile mortality in Shoreditch is one of the highest in London.
This is in all probability largely attributable to the population of the Borough
mainly consisting of persons of the poorer classes dwelling in a densely popu-