Statistics of the incidence of notifiable infectious diseases in each sanitary district in England and Wales during the year 1911.

Date:
1912
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Statistics of the incidence of notifiable infectious diseases in each sanitary district in England and Wales during the year 1911. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    STATISTICS OF THE Incidence of Notifiable Infectious Diseases in each Sanitary District in England and Wales during the year 1911. To the Right Honourable John Burns, M.P., President of the Local Government Board, Sir, I have the honour to submit the following statistics as to cases of notifiable infectious diseases reported during the year 1911. As these form the first complete records for England and Wales, it appears desirable to preface the tables by a review of the history of the movements which have culminated in the present national figures. A statement of some of the main points of interest in the tables themselves is also given. 1. Historical Statement. The Board, in their General Order of 13th December, 1910, prescribing Regulations with respect to Medical Officers of Health, made it the duty of Medical Officers of Health to transmit to the Board each Monday a statement of the number of cases of infectious disease notified to them during the preceding week; and the summary of the number of cases of infectious diseases notified during the year 1911 in each district of England and Wales, which is given in the following pages, is based on these weekly returns.* The stages by which the publication of these complete statistics of the incidence of notifiable infectious diseases has become practicable constitute an interesting chapter in the history of preventive medicine and its application in sanitary administra- tion. Soon after the establishment of registration of deaths in the year 1837 it became evident that, although the information thus furnished gave valuable indications as to the directions in which sanitary amelioration was particularly required, it did not completely meet the needs of the case. Mortality statistics necessarily ignore everything that precedes the close of life, and, owing to the varying fatality of disease, sickness is not always in the same ratio as mortality.. An epidemic may have secured * Similar information is given for the Metropolis, returns for which are sent weekly by the Metropolitan Asylum Managers. These are compiled from copies of notifications received by them from Metropolitan Medical Officers of Health under the powers given by Sec. 55 (4) of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891. The weekly returns from ports are made in pursuance of the duty imposed on the Port Medical Officers of Health, except London, by the Board’s General Order. No. 64. A 2 (23102—21.) Wt. 343—858. 3000. 4/12. D & S.