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
St Pancras 1897
Annual report from the chairman of the health committee on the business of the department
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19
III.—INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
NOTIFICATIONS.
The annual numbers of cases of Notifiable Infectious Diseases certified since the commencement of notification, are shown in the following Table:—
| Diseases. | 1889 2 mos. | 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1893 | 1896 | 1897 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small-pox | - | 5 | 1 | 31 | 112 | 95 | 14 | 5 | 2 |
| Scarlet Fever | 123 | 636 | 621 | 1279 | 2465 | 1255 | 1053 | 1067 | 913 |
| Diphtheria | 58 | 437 | 298 | 432 | 732 | 491 | 522 | 458 | 506 |
| Membranous Croup | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | 16 | 9 | 6 |
| Typhus Fever | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Enteric Fever | 34 | 137 | 217 | 119 | 163 | 188 | 144 | 198 | 213 |
| Fever, Simple & Continued | 1 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |
| Relapsing Fever | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| Puerperal Fever | 1 | 9 | 8 | 27 | 24 | 11 | 17 | 19 | 14 |
| Cholera | — | 2 | 9 | 5 | 5 | 1 | — | — | 3 |
| Erysipelas | 70 | 373 | 370 | 426 | 678 | 470 | 408 | 366 | 393 |
| Totals | 288 | 1606 | 1528 | 2322 | 4184 | 2525 | 2178 | 2123 | 2057 |
The number of cases of the Notifiable Infectious Diseases certified during the year 1897, and the Sub-Districts in which they occurred, are shown in the following Table:—
| Population—1896 Census. | Regent's Park pop. 38,166. | Tottenham Court, pop. 27,004. | Gray's Inn Lane, pop. 29,971. | Somers Town, pop. 32,793 | Camden Town pop. 14,900. | Kentish Town, pop. 100,174. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diseases. | |||||||
| Small—pox | — | — | l | — | — | 1 | 2 |
| Scarlatina or Scarlet Fever | 122 | 94 | 166 | 130 | 54 | 347 | 913 |
| Diphtheria, Membranous Croup | 49 | 28 | 88 | 99 | 23 | 225 | 512 |
| Typhus Fever | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Typhoid or Enteric Fever | 20 | 57 | 29 | 23 | 23 | 61 | 211 |
| Continued Fever | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | 7 |
| Relapsing Fever | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Puerperal Fever | 3 | — | — | 3 | 1 | 7 | 14 |
| Cholera | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | 3 |
| Erysipelas | 48 | 39 | 74 | 54 | 46 | 132 | 393 |
| Totals | 242 | 218 | 358 | 309 | 147 | 783 | 2057 |
The annexed Table shows the seasonal variation in the prevalenoe of the
diseases from week to week during the past year:—