London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Stepney 1934

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Stepney]

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The organs and parts of the body affected were as follows :—

Male.Female.
Mouth, Throat and alimentary canal8781
Other abdominal organs1716
Generative organs724
Breast30
Skin33
Lung and Pleura276
Bones93
Other specified Organs14
Other undefined3
Totals154167

Heart
Disease.
Diseases
of the
Respiratory
Organs.
Scabies.
Cleansing
and
Disinfection.
There were 633 deaths from Heart disease (299 males and 334 females)
or 61 less than in the previous year. The death-rate for the whole Borough
was 2.9 per 1,000 of the population.
The number of deaths from diseases of the Respiratory Organs (excluding
Tuberculosis) was 338 or 53 less than in the previous year. The death-rate
for the whole Borough was 1.5 per 1,000 of the population.
During the year it became increasingly obvious that persons suffering
from Scabies were at a disadvantage in Stepney because of lack of bathing
accommodation. There is only one bath at the Council's Disinfecting
Station in Branch Road and this is almost fully occupied in the cleansing
of verminous persons and it was decided that new bathing arrangements
would have to be made for Scabies.
Children of school age have always been well treated at the London
County Council bathing stations and it was necessary to make arrangements
for the treatment of adults and of children under school age. An arrangement
was made with Bethnal Green for the former and one with the London
County Council for the latter. These arrangements were purely of a
temporary nature until such time as the Council could reorganise the
Disinfecting Station to include proper bathing facilities. I am of opinion
that adult scabies is very prevalent, and I have every hope that these
facilities will be available during 1935.
220 persons were cleansed during the year and had their clothing
disinfected—214 adults and 6 children. 209 were cleansed because of vermin
and 11 because of infectious disease.