[Report 1905] / Medical Officer of Health, Selby U.D.C.

  • Selby (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1905] / Medical Officer of Health, Selby U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    DEATHS. 147 deaths have occurred; the death rate being 167. This is about the average for this district, but is somewhat higher than that of last year, owing to a larger number of deaths among old people. For the smaller towns of England and Wales the death rate was 14*4. 36 deaths occurred, in children under i year of age, which gives an infantile mortality (rate per thousand births registered) of 152. This is much higher than it should be, as neither measles nor whooping cough have been prevalent. Table V. (which is introduced for the first time), shews the cause of death amongst infants, and it will be seen that more than half the total number come under the heading of “ Wasting Diseases.” Many women belonging to the town work in the fields or factories and their babies are reared upon artificial foods instead of the nourishment nature has provided for them. From Zymotic disease 15 deaths have taken place, giving a rate of 17 per thousand. Seven of these deaths were the result of Scarlet Fever, which has been prevalent most of the year. INFECTIOUS DISEASES. 120 cases have been reported, of which 100 was Scarlet Fever, 7 Diphtheria, 6 Typhoid Fever, and 7 Erysipelas. There have been no epidemics of Measles or Whooping Cough during the year. SCARLET FEVER. As stated above 100 cases have been notified, the complaint being prevalent in town from the beginning of the year until the middle of November. Attendance at school does not appear to have spread the disease so much as intercourse between the children at other times, and therefore it has not seemed advisable to recommend their closure. 7 were children who had not commenced attending school; 37 of the cases were due to insufficient isolation in the houses, 5 patients being women who caught it from nursing their children. Had the hospital been completed many of these cases might have been prevented by prompt removal of the first case.