London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Battersea 1902

Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1903

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57
Diarrhæa.
Diarrhæa was the cause of 92 deaths, including 31
registered as due to epidemic or zymotic enteritis. The
death-rate was .53 per 1,000, or .32 below the decennial
average .85. The death-rate in the County of London was .63.

The number of deaths and the death-rate in the sub-districts are set out below:—

No. of Deaths.Death-rate per 1,000.
East Battersea44.60
North-West Battersea ...41.82
South-West Battersea ...7.13

Seventy-eight deaths, or 84.7 per cent, of the whole, were
of infants under one year, and 9 deaths were of children aged
from one to five years.
The deaths in each quarter of the year were as follows :—
First quarter ... ... 7
Second " ... ... —
Third „ ... ... 64
Fourth „ ... ... 21
The death-rate from diarrhoea in 1903 was the lowest ever
recorded in Battersea, the lowest previous rate being .57 in
1902. This comparatively low rate is largely explained by the
meteorological conditions prevailing during the summer.
Diarrhoea is a disease which is closely dependent on temperature
and rainfall, and attains its greatest virulence in hot,
dry weather. The last two summers have been very wet and
cold, and the mortality from diarrhæa has been, consequently,
exceptionally low. The conditions favouring a high mortality
from diarrhæa are dealt with in greater detail in the section
devoted to infantile mortality.
Tuberculosis.
The following table shows the death-rate from Phthisis
and other Tubercular Diseases per 100,000 persons in' each
year since 1892.