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
Walthamstow 1903
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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41
The mortality from this complaint is very small compared with
previous years, and no doubt the wet summer months contributed
largely to this desirable result.
Contrary to former years, the deaths attributed to Diarrhceal conditions
mainly occurred in September and October, 16 deaths only being
registered for August, compared with a hundred in former years.
The special efforts made to get local vendors of milk to provide
humanized milk for infant feeding failed, and your Sanitary Committee
had to fall back on the usual distribution of leaflets on Diarrhoea
Prevention, with object Lessons on Milk and Infant Feeding given to
the girls of the upper standards in our elementary schools.
The following Table shows the death-rate in the various wards from
this disease:—
TABLE XVIII.
| St. James Street. | High Street. | Hoe Street. | Wood Street. | Northern Ward. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Births | 747 | 781 | 658 | 453 | 896 |
| Birth-Rate | 31.6 | 39.1 | 29.24 | 27.45 | 38.1 |
| Number of Deaths | 14 | 20 | 4 | 8 | 19 |
| Death-Rate | .6 | 1.0 | .18 | .5 | .8 |
The death-rate from Diarrhoea in the whole district was .61 per
1,000.
The similar rate for England and Wales was .5 and for the "76
Great Towns " .71.
MEASLES AND WHOOPING COUGH.
During the year Measles caused 52 deaths and Whooping Cough 34,
compared with 14 and 23 in the previous year.
Measles has a tendency to recur in epidemic form every few years,
with the appearance of susceptible children, and is very fatal in the
first two or three years of life.