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 1925
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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42 in hospitals for spccial diseases, and 27 in other institutions. Elsewhere than in
public institutions, 10 persons belonging to Shoreditch died beyond the limits of the
Borough.
Altogether 902 or 63.3 per cent. of the people belonging to Shoreditch who died
during the vear, died in various public institutions within or without the Borough.
It may be noted that this percentage during recent years shows a marked increase
on what it formerly was.
INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
The infectious diseases included under the headings 1 to 35 inclusive, together
with 171 and 172 in Table V. (Appendix), were the cause of 306 deaths. This number
is less than for 1924 and below the average, and amounted to 21.5 per cent. of the total
mortality from all causes as compared with 22.3 per cent. in 1924, 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.
The high percentage in 1918 was due to the heavy mortality resulting from the
influenza outbreaks in that year. Tuberculosis accounted for just over 50 per cent.
of the deaths from these infectious diseases during the year under consideration.
The death-rate due to these diseases was 2.8 per 1,000 population as compared with
3.0 in 1924, 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.
In the subjoined table the deaths from the infectious diseases referred to above have 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 | 45 | 68 | 14 | 8 | 15 | 20 | 28 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 12 | 2 | 3 |
Of the total mortality from all causes of children under five years, 31.1 per cent.
resulted from these infectious diseases. In infants under one year diarrhcea, 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 diarrhœa, excluding enteritis
under two years—numbered 97, the death-rate being 0.9 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
Haggerston Ward and lowest in Moorfields.