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 1924
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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Altogether 917 or 63.5 per cent. of the deaths belonging to Shoreditch, occurred
in public institutions.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
The infectious diseases included under the headings 1 to 35 and 171 in Table V.
(Appendix) were the cause of 323 deaths, a number which is an increase on that for
1923, but is none the less below the average for previous years. The chief reason for
this is an increase in the mortality from measles, whooping cough and influenza.
The deaths from the diseases under the headings specified amounted to 22.3 per cent.
of the total mortality from all causes as compared with 20.0 in 1923, 25.7 in 1922,
26.6 in 1921, 25.0 in 1920, 28.5 in 1919, 37.7 in 1918, and 30.2 in 1917. Tuberculosis
accounted for 46.1 per cent, of these deaths. The death.rate due to these diseases
was 3.0 per 1,000 population as compared with 2.6 in 1923, 4.2 in 1922, 3.8 in 1921,
3.9 in 1920, 4.5 in 1919, 9.1 in 1918, 6.8 in 1917, and 5.6 in 1916. The high rate
of 1918 was due to the heavy mortality from influenza.
In the subjoined table the deaths from the infectious diseases referred to above tiave been grouped according to age :—
| Age period. | Under 1 | 1-5 | 5-10 | 10-15 | 15-20 | 20-25 | 25-35 | 35-45 | 45-55 | 55-65 | 65-75 | 75-85 | 85 and upwards. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of deaths | 48 | 88 | 11 | 6 | 13 | 18 | 26 | 37 | 35 | 27 | 8 | 4 | 2 |
Of the total mortality from all causes of children under five years, 33-1 per cent,
resulted from these infectious diseases. In infants under one year diarrhoea, measles
and whooping cough accounted for most of the deaths. Amongst children aged
from one to five years, measles, diphtheria, tuberculosis and whooping cough may
be mentioned as the chief causes of death. Most of the mortality from infectious
diseases amongst persons aged 15 years and upwards was the result of consumption,
influenza and septic diseases.
The deaths from the principal zymotic diseases—viz., smallpox, measles, scarlet
fever, diphtheria, whooping cough, enteric fever and diarrhoea, excluding enteritis
under two years—numbered 119, the death-rate being IT per 1,000 population.
A comparison of the zymotic death-rates of London and Shoreditch and the eight
wards of the Borough is given in Table VI. (Appendix). The rate was highest in
Hoxton Ward and lowest in Kingsland and Acton.
The cases of scarlet fever, diphtheria, erysipelas, enteric fever and puerperal
fever notified numbered 815 as compared with 25,433 for the whole of the Metropolis,
the attack rates being 7-7 and 5-6 per 1,000 population respectively.
Subjoined is a list of the infectious diseases which were notifiable during the
year, excluding pulmonary tuberculosis, showing the numbers of cases certified in