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
Brentford 1898
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brentford]
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Diarrhœa. —The mortality from this disease is 29, the same as last year.
Nearly all the deaths were in infants and during the months of August and September,
and so I fear it will always be as long as parents neglect the simplest precautions.
Little babies are allowed to eat anything and no attention is paid to
cleanliness. The number of deaths from these 8 diseases has been 68, and the
Zymotic death rate is 4.5 per thousand which is abnormally high, 2 higher than last
and 1.3 higher than the average of the last 10 years.
The following table shows the number of births and deaths, and the various birth and death rates for the last ten years:—
| 1889 | 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | Average for 10 years, | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Births | 5°4 | 512 | 494 | 49 2 | 503 | 474 | 537 | 49 2 | 576 | 523 | 5IO.7 |
| Birth rate per 1000 | 38.5 | 38.7 | 35 9 | 35.2 | 35.5 | 31.1 | 37.i | 33.6 | 38.9 | 34.9 | 35.9 |
| Deaths from all causes | 227 | 256 | 253 | 294 | 263 | 221 | 235 | 278 | 231 | 312 | 257 |
| Death rate per 1000 | 1.5 | 19.3 | 18.3 | 21 | 18.6 | 15.4 | 16.2 | 18.9 | 15.6 | 20,8 | 18.1 |
| Deaths from Small Pox | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ,, Measles | 8 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 11 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 6 | 9.3 |
| 5 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 3.4 | |||||||
| ,, Diphtheria | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3.9 | |
| ,, Typhus Fever | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | I | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.2 |
| ,, Whooping Cough | 3 | 7 | 14 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 26 | 8.2 |
| ,, Typhoid Fever | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.1 |
| ,, Diarrhœa | 6 | 21 | 14 | 18 | 3o | 11 | J5 | 16 | 29 | 29 | 18.9 |
| ,, 8 chief zymotic diseases | 30 | 56 | 37 | 46 | 58 | 34 | 25 | 68 | 38 | 68 | 46 |
| Death rate of zymotic diseases | 2.29 | 4.2 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 2.3 | i.7 | 4.6 | 2.5 | 4.5 | 3.2 |
Bakehouses and Slaughterhouses.—The 22 Bakehouses and 8 Slaughterhouses
in the district have been regularly inspected. They have uniformly been
found clean and in good repair. Where any defects have been noticed they have
been promptly remedied.
Lodging Houses.—The common lodging Houses have been constantly visited
and there has not been one case of infectious disease in them during the year. One
house has been remodelled and two new rooms added, thus giving additional
accommodation.
Other Sanitary Work:.—My efforts this year, as in all previous ones, have
been principally directed to improving the dwellings of the poor; seeing that they
are watertight, properly ventilated, that their sanitary arrangements are not defective,
and that their water supply is efficient. Many houses have been repaired and
cleansed and 5 have been closed as unfit for habitation and pulled down. I am not
an advocate for the wholesale demolition of small property as long as it can be put
into a proper condition byreconstruction and repair, for the small houses supply a great
want as they are cheap and, under supervision, make good homes for families earning
small wages. To me it appears that the great difficulty is to house the
poorest class, as they are not always the most desirable tenants. They are not suitable
as tenants for workmen's dwellings, and if small houses are done away with they
must crowd into lodgings. I would again suggest that a register be kept of all
houses let in lodgings as it would materially assist the sanitary authority and tend to
check overcrowding with its attendant evils.
Prevention of Phthisis.—Last year I called attention to the infectious nature of
this ever present disease and I am convinced that if reasonable precautions are taken