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

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Woolwich 1909

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Woolwich]

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44
in one road of 48 houses; in two cases there was a month's
interval, and in two cases a fortnight's interval, between supposed
infecting and infected cases
Deaths Table VIII shows the death-rate from diarrhoea in
London and Woolwich in the summer quarter of every year
this century Notification was adopted in Woolwich in 1905,
and has not been similarly carried out in any other London
Borough The table indicates that whereas, before notification,
Woolwich had a slightly higher diarrhoea mortality than
London, since notification commenced the Woolwich deathrate
has decreased to a marked extent both absolutely and
compared with London In 1909 the Woolwich diarrhoea
mortality was only one-ninth the average mortality of 1901-4,
and only one-third as much as in London
There were only eight deaths in the summer quarter, giving
a death-rate of 0.25, compared with 2.30, the average of the
years 1901-4, and with 0.79 the London death-rate
The death-rate in Woolwich was lower than it had been
before, and in London lower than any year but 1907 The
cool and rainy summer was favourable to a low diarrhoea
death-rate, but the existence of notification has shewn us that,
even in the most favourable summers, a large number of
children suffer from this disease, although usually in a mild
form
It seems not unreasonable to say that notifications, assisted
by the Milk Depot and Health Visitor, saved 17 lives, for, if the
death-rate in Woolwich had been the same as in London, there
would have been 25 deaths instead of 8
£18 17s 0d was paid for notification of Zymotic Enteritis
during the year.