[Report 1897] / Medical Officer of Health, Billinge U.D.C.

  • Billinge (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1897] / Medical Officer of Health, Billinge U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    BILLINGE ^(r£an @ouncii‘. ANNUAL REPORT OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER OF HEALTH. Mb. Chairman and Gentlemen, I beg to submit to you my Annual Report on the health and sanitary condition of the Urban District of Billinge for the year 1897. The area of Billinge is 4,591 acres, and the density of the population about ’92 per acre. The total number of deaths occurring in the district in 1897 was 101 (54 were those of males, and 47 of females), this is equal to an annual death-rate of 23'76 per 1,000 of population. Of the 101 deaths, 34 occurred in infants under one year of age, 12 in children one and under five years, 31 in persons five and under 60 years, and 24 in persons over 60 years of age. The deaths of children under one year of age numbered 34, equal to an annual infantile death-rate of 228 per 1,000 registered births. Infectious Disease.—During the past year 55 cases of Infectious Disease received notification, of which 21 were reported in Billinge-Chapel-End, 21 in Billinge-Higher-End, and 13 in Winstanley. Four of these infectious cases resulted in death, and were as follows:— Scarlet Fever ... ... ... 2 Enteric Fever ... ... ... 1 Diphtheria ... ... ... 1 This number equals an annual zymotic death-rate '94 per 1,000 of population. Last year, the zymotic death-rate was ‘47 per 1,000 of population. Scarlet Fever.—This infectious disease has been extremely prevalent during the past year, 42 cases having received notification. The several districts, as the subjoined list shows, were equally visited by this disease, which was of a mild type, the case mortality being as low as 4'7G per cent. Many of the cases were undoubtedly due to direct contact, as several cases occurred in the same house : — Billinge-Chapel-End ... ... ... 17 Billinge-Higher-End ... ... ... 17 Winstanley ... ... ... ... 8 Enteric Fever.—Five cases of this disease were notified during last year. In attempting to account for the five cases of Enteric Fever, one is struck by the fact that they occurred, with the exception of one case, over the entire district. This case was not sporadic, as it manifested itself in Winstanley, where the disease was extremely prevalent in December of 1896, and thought to be due to defective drains and bad water supply. The drains have been repaired, and no further spread of this disease has been notified. Bad drainage was found to exist in two of the remaining cases. This has been rectified.