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
Clerkenwell 1900
Report on the public health and sanitary condition of the Parish of Clerkenwell [West Division, Borough of Finsbury] for the year 1900
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The following table shows the seasonal occurrence of the cases of Diptheria notified to us:—
| Months | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apl. | May. | June. | July. | Aug. | Sept. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of Cases | 13 | 17 | 6 | 5 | 17 | 7 | 16 | 4 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 5 |
| Total | 36 | 29 | 30 | 21 |
Of the 116 cases only ten were treated at home. Of these ten,
five proved fatal. All the other cases, 106 were removed to
hospital for treatment, and amongst these there were 12 deaths.
The total number of deaths was therefore 17, which yields a deathrate
of 0.25 per 1,000. The London death-rate for 1900 was 0.34
per 1,000.
The following are the death-rates from Diphtheria in Clerkenwell during the last 10 years:—
| Years. | 1891. | 1892. | 1893. | 1894 | 1895. | 1896. | 1897. | 1898. | 1899. | 1900. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death rates due to Diphtheria. | 0.42 | 0.42 | 1.15 | 0.51 | 0.51 | 0.62 | 0.73 | 0.54 | 0.40 | 0.25 |
This lowest death-rate for 10 years is probably due for the most
part to the general decline in Diphtheria throughout the London
area, and in part possibly to the strict arrangements carried out
in the Public Health Department whenever a case of Diphtheria
was notified. (See page 38).
Dr. Newsholme, of Brighton, has pointed out the general principle
that Diptheria only becomes pandemic, or widely epidemic, when a
succession of years of drought appear. The maximum of Diphtheria
and the maximum rainfall occurred in 1893. In limited localities,
such for example as the parish of Clerkenwell, a number of accidental
circumstances affecting the spread of the disease come into
operation.