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 1929
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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22
Diphtheria.
The cases certified numbered 350 of which 69 or 19.7 per cent. were subsequently
not regarded as bring diphtheria. The number of cases during the year was thus 281
which gives an attack rate of 2.8 per 1,000 inhabitants.
The age seasonal and Ward distribution of the cases are included in the table
on page 17.
There were 10 fatal cases—7 males and 3 females. These occurred in the following age groups:—
| Under one year | 1 |
| Aged 1-2 years | 2 |
| Aged 2-5 years | 4 |
| Aged 5-10 years | 3 |
The number of cases, the deaths amongst males and females and the attack, death and mortality rates in the Borough, its Wards and in London are given in the subjoined table:—
| Ward. | No. of cases. | Fatal cases. | Rates per 1,000 population. | Case mortality. Deaths per 100 cases. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M. | F. | Total | M. | F. | Total | ||||
| Attack | Death | ||||||||
| Moorfields | 11 | 12 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5.8 | 0.50 | 8.7 |
| Church | 28 | 29 | 57 | 1 | 1 | 3.3 | 0.06 | 1.8 | |
| Hoxton | 32 | 32 | 64 | 4 | 4 | 4.2 | 0.26 | 6.2 | |
| Wenlock | 24 | 21 | 45 | — | — | 3.3 | |||
| Whitmore | 8 | 8 | 16 | 1 | 1 | 0.9 | 0.06 | 6.2 | |
| Kingsland | 11 | 13 | 24 | 1 | 1 | 2.4 | 0.10 | 4.2 | |
| Haggerston | 12 | 19 | 31 | 2.9 | |||||
| Acton | 14 | 7 | 21 | 1 | 1 | 1.8 | 0.09 | 4.8 | |
| Total | 140 | 141 | 281 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 2-8 | 0-10 | 3-56 |
| London | 11,854 | 337 | 2-7 | 0-08 | 2-8 | ||||
Diphtheria is to be regarded as a serious disease of childhood, both by reason of
the lives which it takes and the prolonged ill-health by which it is often followed.
The cases in Shoreditch were happily considerably fewer than in 1928, when they
numbered 354, and the number of cases per 1,000 of the population was the lowest
recorded for a considerable period.
In considering the more satisfactory figures for last year, it must not be forgotten
that the conditions prevailing in the Borough are on the whole favourable to this