[Report 1896] / Medical Officer of Health, Worcester City.

  • Worcester (England). City Council.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Report 1896] / Medical Officer of Health, Worcester City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/44 (page 12)
    The Death-rate of the attacked per centum was :— Persons. Males. Females. Under Over Under Over Under Over Total. 5 5 Total. 5 5 Total. 5 5 years. years. years. years. years. years. 1S'1 33*3 7-2 164 28-5 10*0 143 37'0 57 This Death-rate of the attacked would have been thought very low in the days before the use of antitoxin serum. In Dr. Thorne Thorne's book on Diphtheria, on page 32 are given the notified attacks and registered deaths from Diphtheria in 15 large towns and cities for the years 1888-9 and 90. The attacks in this Table number 4,845 and the deaths 1,458, giving a Death-rate of the attacked of 30 per cent The Death-rate among children under five is very high, and is higher among the females than the males. It will be noted also that a considerably larger number of females were attacked than males. This has been noted in other epidemics, and the above Table shews that it holds good for every age period. The girls at school age are frequently seen with their arms around each other’s necks as they walk along the street, and in such close contact the danger of contracting Diphtheria chiefly lies ; at ages above school life the nursing of the sick children will account for the excess among the women as compared with the men. In considering the mortality from this disease, it is interesting to note the time at which death occurred