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

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East Ham 1905

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for East Ham]

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17
remains upon them. They should be cleaned with a
wet cloth.
7. Consumptive patients ought to sleep by themselves.
8. Mothers who are consumptives should not suckle their
children, and should not themselves make use of the
children's cups, spoons, etc.
9. Rooms that have been occupied by consumptive people
can be disinfected free of charge on application to the
Medical Officer of Health.
These suggestions are not made for the benefit of the sufferers
from consumption alone, but also in the interests of the family, for
by adopting these means the spread of consumption may be
prevented.
Although much has been done in the past by general sanitary
work to lesson the disease, much more remains to be done. As
will have been seen a consumptive is only dangerous through bad
habits, much good will therefore follow the dissemination of information
concerning the disease. The isolation of advanced
cases in Sanatoria should also be undertaken. The tendency in the
past has been to treat chiefly early curable cases in Sanatoria, this
is certainly good, but I think it much more important to provide
isolation for advanced incurable cases, for these are the most
deadly in spreading the disease. This is particularly the case
among the poor, they have no means of providing isolation and it
is among the overcrowded, underfed poor, that the germ finds the
most suitable soil for its growth and development.
CANCER.
84 deaths were due to cancerous disease. This is equal to a
death-rate of 0.68 per 1,000 living, as compared with 71 deaths and
a death-rate of 0.61 per 1,000 for the previous year.

The following table gives the death-rate from cancer for the past five years :—

19010.56 per 1,000
19020.34 „
19030.54
19040.61 „
19050.68 „