[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch].

  • Shoreditch (London, England). Metropolitan Borough.
Date:
[1913]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/105 (page 12)
    12 SICKNESS AMONGST THE POOR. The cases coming under the treatment of the district medical officers in con nection with the Poor Law Dispensary in Hoxton Street during 1912 numbered 5,201 as compared with 5,209 in 1911, 5,445 in 1910, 5,261 in 1909, 4,453 in 1908, 4,380 in 1907, 4,107 in 1906 and 4,014 in 1905. An analysis of the cases treated is recorded in Table VII. (Appendix). The diseases classed as infectious accounted for 991 as compared with 924 in 1911, 923 in 1910, 945 in 1909, 707 in 1908, and 763 in 1907. Consumption, measles, influenza, and whooping cough were responsible for more than two-thirds of the infectious cases. As compared with the figures for 1911 there was a marked in crease in the number of cases of influenza, and there were also increases in the numbers of cases of consumption, measles and whooping cough. The cases of diarrhoea were greatly decreased, doubtless to be accounted for by the cool summer. Diseases of the respiratory organs, which are also in the main to be regarded as infectious, numbered 1,461 cases as compared with 1,458 in 1911, 1,344 in 1910, 1,444 in 1909 and 1,268 in 1908. Of the cases during 1912, bronchitis caused 1,292 and 110 were due to pneumonia. Rheumatism was given as the diagnosis in 458 cases as compared with 408 in 1911 and 398 in 1910. Cases of rheumatic fever were below the average in point of number, there being only 28 as compared with 53 in 1911, 53 in 1910, 47 in 1909 and 32 in 1908. Cases diagnosed as gout numbered 57 as compared with 95 in 1911, 100 in 1910 and 104 in 1909. Dyspepsia and other disorders of the digestive system accounted for 463 of the cases as compared with 546 in 1911 and 688 in 1910. The cases diagnosed as cancer numbered 25 as com pared with 31 in 1911, 37 in 1910, 36 in 1909, 14 in 1908, 20 in 1907, 43 in 1906, 37 in 1905, 27 in 1904, 30 in 1903, 12 in 1902, 31 in 1901, 33 in 1900, 18 in 1899, 9 in 1898, 15 in 1897, 21 in 1896, 15 in 1895, 27 in 1894 and 23 in 1893. Diseases of the locomotive system accounted for 247 cases, chiefly of ulcerated legs, as compared with 240 in 1911 and 263 in 1910, and diseases of the skin for 148 as compared with 163 in 1911 and 236 in 1910. INFECTIOUS DISEASES. The infectious diseases included under the headings numbered 1 to 35 and 170 in Table V. (Appendix), resulted in 589 deaths as compared with 673 in 1911, 511 in 1910, 676 in 1909, 622 in 1908, 747 in 1907, 776 in 1906, 717 in 1905, 791 in 1904, 762 in 1903, 767 in 1902 and 762 in 1901. The number was therefore markedly below the average for the previous 10 years. They amounted to 29.0 per cent. of the total number of deaths from all causes as compared with 30.2 per cent. in 1911.