London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Holborn 1898
Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year ending December 31st, 1898
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9
Medical Officer's Report.
the 52 weeks was 739, giving a corrected death-rate of 24.5 per thousand.
The corresponding rate for London was 18.3.
If correction be made for age and sex distribution, the death-rate of
Holborn was 26.5 per 1000.
Further details are given in Tables I. and III.
DEATHS OF CHILDREN UNDER ONE YEAR OF AGE.
There were 178 deaths of children under one year of age; that is, the
number of deaths of children under one year of age to 1,000 births was 219.
The corresponding rate for London was 166 per 1000 births.
In the preceding three years, the numbers in Holborn were, 212 per 1000
births in 1895, 189 in 1896, and 181 in 1897.
The causes of these 178 deaths were:—
| Premature birth and congenital defects | 31 |
| Malnutrition, marasmus and debility | 19 |
| Diarrhoea and gastro-enteritis | 45 |
| Tubercular diseases | . 11 |
| Bronchitis | 16 |
| Pneumonia | 16 |
| Measles | 10 |
| Whooping cough | 4 |
| Diphtheria | 2 |
| Suffocation in bed | 11 |
| Convulsions | 4 |
| Congenital syphilis | 3 |
| Other diseases | 6 |
| 178 |
PHTHISIS OR CONSUMPTION.
The number of deaths from phthisis during the year was 94, which is
equivalent to a death-rate of 3.1 per 1000—the same rate as last year. The
corresponding rate for London was 1.7 per 1000.
The number of deaths from other tubercular diseases was 28.
See introduction, p. 6, respecting the prevention of consumption and
other tubercular diseases.