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 1926
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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In the subjoined table the causes of death amongst 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smallpox | |||||||||
| Chicken-pox | |||||||||
| Measles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |||||
| Scarlet Fever | |||||||||
| Whooping Cough | |||||||||
| Diphtheria and Croup | |||||||||
| Erysipelas | |||||||||
| Tuberculous Meningitis | 1 | ||||||||
| Abdominal Tuberculosis | |||||||||
| Other Tuberculous Diseases | |||||||||
| Meningitis (not Tuberculous) | 2 | 1 | 5 | ||||||
| Convulsions | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||
| Laryngitis | |||||||||
| Bronchitis | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |||
| Pneumonia (all forms) | 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 42 | |
| Diarrhoea | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | ||||
| Enteritis | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 17 | |
| Gastritis | |||||||||
| Syphilis | |||||||||
| Rickets | |||||||||
| Suffocation, over-lying | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| Injury at Birth | |||||||||
| Atelectasis | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||
| Congenital Malformations | 1 | 2 | |||||||
| Premature Birth | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 38 | |
| Atrophy Debility and Marasmus | 7 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 19 | |||
| Other causes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 18 |
| Totals | 5 | 29 | 25 | 27 | 20 | 23 | 21 | 17 | 167 |
The infantile mortalities for the Wards of the Borough are given in Table VI
(Appendix). The rate was highest in Kingsland and lowest in Whitmore, being 98
and 50 per 1,000 births respectively.
The infantile mortality for England and Wales was at the rate of 70, and for
London it was 64 per 1,000 births registered.
The deaths of children aged from one to two years numbered 55, the chief causes
being measles and diseases of the respiratory organs. Of children aged from two to
five years 43 died, the chief causes being measles, diphtheria, and diseases of the
respiratory organs. Altogether 265 or 20.4 per cent. of the total number of deaths
were of children under five years of age.
Taking the deaths at all ages the chief causes were : diseases of the circulatory
organs, including heart disease, which accounted for 155, tuberculosis 151, including