[Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council.

  • Shropshire Council
Date:
1904
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1904] / Medical Officer of Health, Salop / Shropshire County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    97/100 (page 77)
    Death-rates jier 1000 population from Period. All Causes. Seven Chief Zymotic Diseases. Ei)i(lemic Intluenza. Phthisis. Other 'Piibercular Disea.ses. Uronchitis and Pneumonia. Heart 1 liseascs Cancer. Infant Death- rate per 1000 Births. Birth¬ rate. 1904 17.0 .69 .31 1.7 .37 3.0 ‘2.2 1.0 125 26. G Averages for years 1897-1903 17.4 1.40 111 28.1 i The zymotic death-rate was due to 5 deaths from measles, 4 from diphtheria, i from enteric fever, and i from diarrhoea. The infantile mortality was much above the average. Of the 53 deaths, 13 were due to bronchitis, and pneumonia, 8 to premature birth, 6 to diarrhoea and enteritis, and 4 to tubercular disease. Many of these deaths might be avoided with better feeding and rearing of infants. The death-rate from tuberculosis (2.07) was higher than the average for the previous 4 years (I-75)- Infections Disease.—Twenty-six cases of scarlet fever, 25 of diphtheria, 14 of enteric fever, and 7 of erysipelas were notified. The scarlet fever cases were mostly in the Madeley Ward. The increase in diphtheria was due to a prolonged series of outbreaks at Bourton, where 14 cases occurred betw'een January and the end of October. The school was frequently closed, fresh out¬ breaks occurring when re-opened. Dr. Gepp, with the County Medical Officer, examined a large number of the children, and took swabs from their throats but with negative results. Only one case however occurred afterwards. Dr. Gepp recommended that the Town Council, as the Education Authority, should arrange for routine medical inspection of the children, but this w'as not acted upon. The 14 cases of enteric fever w’ere in 8 houses, 7 of which were in the Madeley Ward. In 6 of these 7 outbreaks there was a considerable chance of river water having been drunk and Dr. Gepp has no doubt that polluted river water w^as responsible for at least four of them. In one house there were 6 cases. Dr. Gepp recommends that the sanitary inspector be given pow'er to arrange for the collection and disposal of typhoid excreta in those cases where it is desirable. Hospital Isolation—no general hospital but an iron hospital for 8 beds for small-pox in Broseley. Disinfection—no disinfecting station. Infected houses are now disinfected by the sanitary inspector, with a spray of formic aldehyde. House Accommodation—in general adequate in amount. Several cases of very serious over¬ crowding were discovered and dealt with. Many of the houses are old and defective. In the absence of building, systematic inspection with subsequent proceedings are all tlie more necessary. The necessity for removing soil in contact with house walls where it is causing dampness is insisted upon. Cleanliness of surroundings.—The systematic inspection is producing improvement, but much yet remains to be done.