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19 Annual lieport of the Medical Officer of Health—1892.
hrough distance, affording little—if any—relipf to the pressure. During this period
everal healthy children living in the same tenements and model "flats" with Scarlet
Fever patients whose skins were desquamating, and whose sick-rooms were only im-
perfectly, or not at all isolated, owing to want of room or faulty construction,
contracted the disease.
Should the Parish be again visited by a similar outbreak of Scarlet Fever or
other communicable disease-not at all an unlikely occurrence-the putting into
???practice the principles advocated by me in a Special Report " on a Proposed
Reception House," and approved by the Vestry, might be the means of averting similar catastrophies.
The Report (for copy see Appendix B) advises—amongst other mattersthe
isolation of the healthy members of a family from the sick in a temporary
thelter, which might also be utilised, should the accommodation it the Asylums
Board Hospitals fail at any time (in which case the Vestry would become responsible)
is a temporary refuge for hospital isolation.
The fact of the difficulty or impossibiltiy of securing, even a comparatively
thinly-populated site, for this purpose in this densely crowded district, should
think, be allowed to hinder the large number of very poor folk, living in one or
two-roomed houses or tenements, from enjoying the opportunity of escape from
mmediate contact with their sick relatives, and from being a danger alike to
hemselves and their neighbours.
Puerperal Fever.—Four deaths were due to the virulent and highly contagious
lisease, known as puerperal fever, in 1892. The cases were attended by four
lifferent midwives, whom I advised regarding the taking of precautionary measures,
md cautioned against continuing their practices until the lapse of a period of six
weeks after the confinements. This injunction is believed to have been attended to.
Che clothes of the midwives were burnt for which compensation was allowed. The
Vestry have resolved—upon my recommendation—that the Public Health Cnunittee
shall, in future, carefully consider each case of puerperal fever, as it arises, with a
new especially of encouraging the midwives to take every means which may tend t >
prevent the spread of this awful malady.
Tubercular Diseases.—The death-rate from Phthisis, or Pulmonary ( nsumption,
and to other tubercular diseases in 1892 was 3.6 per 1,000 in St. George,
Southwark, as compared with 2.6 for London.
Influenza.—The number of deaths from Influenza as a primary or a secondary
cause of death, amounted to 14 in 1892, being 17 less than St. George's, Sou
proportion of the total influenza mortality of London. Influenza caused 12 deaths
in the parish in 1891.
Respiratory Diseases.—The death-rate from diseases of the respiratory organs
was 1 per 1,000 higher in St. George, Southwark, as complied with London. A
large number of deaths really due to Influenza are certitie 1 undei other names, and
especially under bronchitis and pneumonia, and the deaths undei these two heading to
during the outbreak 1890-1892, in London numbered 56,070, whereas according to
the previous decennial average they should have been only 47,120. In 1890 the
period of maximum intensity was in January, in 1891 it was in May and June, in
1892 it wras in January and February; the mortality having risen almost suddenly
in the first week of the year, having reached its maximum in the third week, and
then gradually subsided.
The death-rate from respiratory diseases in London, during the years 1884-89
(inclusive) was 4.2 per 1,000, and during 1890, 1891, and 1892 numbered 5.0, 5.3,
and 4.5 per 1,000 respectively. The higher death-rate of these three latter years
was undoubtedly due to the presence of masked the general death-rata of St.
drawn from these facts is that Influenza has raised the general death-rate
George, Southwark, as well as of London during the years 1890.92 to a greater
degree than the actual deaths merely recorded from this discase would indicate.