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densely populated working-class district, such as Shoreditch is, where three-fourths
of the population reside in tenements of less than five rooms, and a large proportion
of these in tenements of only one or two rooms there are consequent conditions
which facilitate the spread of the infection of diarrhoea in families and generally
predispose to prevalence of the disease. With a view to mitigating the effects of
these influences, efforts are made each summer to specially deal with all nuisances
and other conditions which may tend to favour excessive mortality amongst
children. Leaflets giving advice as to the feeding and management of children and
for preventing the exposure of food to contamination are distributed. This is
supplemented by personal visits made by the Health Visitor with a view to giving
practical advice to mothers of infants who have been born within the twelve months.
Special attention is paid to the prevention of accumulations in the vicinity of houses
of decomposing animal and vegetable refuse. Courts and alleys are flushed out
regularly by a special gang of men. Through the almoners of the hospitals in the
neighbourhood of the Borough, information is obtained by the Health Visitor as to
the existance of cases of diarrhoea in infants, and this information is taken advantage
of to impress upon parents the serious character of diarrhoea amongst young
children and the importance of prompt steps as to treatment.
The steps taken by the Health Visitor in connection with the summer epidemic
of diarrhoea in the Borough are stated in her report (Appendix, p. 87). The
enquiries she has made again shew, as has been noted in previous years, that the
mortality is much greater in young infants amongst those who are not naturally
fed, that is, amongst those who are not fed solely upon the breast.
The deaths from diarrhœa and enteritis amongst children under two years
numbered 5,313 for the whole of the Metropolis, which give a death-rate of 117
per 1,000 population.
MEASLES.
The deaths from measles numbered 125, as compared with 80 in 1910 and 127
in 1909. It may be noted, that the cases coming under the treatment of the Poor
Law Medical Officers during 1911 were not so numerous as in 1910, moreover, there
was also a decrease in the number of cases reported through the school authorities.
Deaths from measles occurred throughout the year except during the month of
October. They were; however, most numerous in February and March, during
which period close upon two-thirds of the total number of deaths for the year took
place. All the deaths were amongst children under 10 years of age; under one
year 27 died, between one and five 94. and from five to ten, 4; 68 were of males
and 57 of females. The death-rate from measles was 1.13 per 1,000 population as
compared with 0 70 in 1910, 1.11 in 1909, 0'44 in 1908, 0.99 in 1907, 0.64 in 1906,
0.52 in 1905, 0 69 in 1904, 0.85 in 1903, 0.72 in 1902, and 0.64 inl901. The deathrate
was highest in Kingsland and lowest in Moorfields Ward, being 1.82 in the
former and 0.39 in the latter.