Dr. S. Monckton Copeman's report to the Local Government Board on prevalence of measles, enteric fever and diphtheria in the borough of Lowestoft, and on general sanitary administration in that town / [S. Monckton Copeman].

  • Sydney Copeman
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Dr. S. Monckton Copeman's report to the Local Government Board on prevalence of measles, enteric fever and diphtheria in the borough of Lowestoft, and on general sanitary administration in that town / [S. Monckton Copeman]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/18 page 12
    Speaking- generally, it is difficult to deny that the unwholesome .conditions which I have particularised have had a large share in the fever in Lowestoft, and consequently it is most important that immediate steps should be taken to remedy, as far as may be, the defects in the arrangements at present in force for dealing with solid and liquid refuse, particularly that of an excremental character. Even should the present system of privy middens he done away with altogether, and the sewerage system brought into as perfect condition as possible, it will necessarily he a matter of some time before the subsoil can recover from its present contaminated condition. Until this has been accomplished, however, it is not to be expected that enteric fever will cease from time to time to assert its presence in the place. Diphtheria. During the year 1895 the notifications of this disease numbered 46, of which no less than 30 occurred in the course of the last four months of that year, the period namely during which the present Medical Officer of Health was in office. The number of deaths during the eight-months and four- months periods was 12 and 9 respectively. Although the numbers of both cases and deaths were unduly large they did not attain the proportions which had been reached in each of the three immediately preceding years, there having been a sudden jump from 15 cases with two deaths in 1891 to no less than 65 cases with 15 deaths in 1892. The following table shows that in 1895 the incidence of the disease was most marked in the last quarter of the year, and in that particular division of the town called the North Ward :— Table showing Distribution Quarter by Quarter in Lowestoet of Cases of Diphtheria notified in 1895. — North Ward. South Ward. East Ward. West Ward. Population (estimated) - 7,145 5,721 5,107 7,189 First quarter - - 2 1 1 1 Second „ - 0 0 0 1 Third „ - - 4 0 8 1 Fourth „ - 23 1 1 2 29 2 10 5 No single definite cause could he found for this sudden outbreak of diphtheria during the months of October, November and December 1895. Nearly all the cases, however, made their appearance, as the Medical Officer of Health informed me, “ in very old houses, deficient in light, air, “ and ventilation, and, in many cases, overcrowded,” a type of dwelling which is only too common in the older portions of the town and particularly in the North Ward. Inquiry was made at the time as to whether school attendance had played a part in the spread of the disease. No evidence was, it is said, obtained as to prevalence of “ sore throat ” among children attending the various schools in the town, while of those actually attacked by diphtheria, more than half the total number were in children under school age. In a number of these cases the child had previously been suffering from an attack of measles, during convalescence from which malady diphtheria supervened. In the annual reports of former Medical Officers of Health of the Borough, considerable stress had been laid on the possible danger to health which
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3