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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The following table shows the progress of diphtheria in the several groups of
London Districts:—
| Groups of Districts | 1888 | 1889 | 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LONDON | 0.30 | 0.36 | 0.31 | 0.32 | 0.44 | 0.74 | 0.61 | 0.52 | 0.59 | 0.50 |
| West | 0.42 | 0.38 | 0.29 | 0 .27 | 0.38 | 0.52 | 0.58 | 0.48 | 0.54 | 0.43 |
| North | 0.23 | 0.25 | 0.30 | 0.35 | 0.46 | 0.73 | 0.55 | 0.40 | 0.55 | 0.44 |
| Central | 0.30 | 0.43 | 0.35 | 0.32 | 0.49 | 0.82 | 0.42 | 0.42 | 0.42 | 0.46 |
| East | 0.29 | 0.56 | 0.53 | 0.44 | 0.62 | 1.00 | 0.77 | 0.81 | 0.66 | 0.61 |
| South | 0.29 | 0.31 | 0.22 | 0.26 | 0.35 | 0.73 | 0.62 | 0.51 | 0.64 | 0.54 |
The great Epidemic curve appears to have commenced in the East Group, then
to have spread to the North, the South, and the Centre Groups, and not to have
reached the West Group until later, and to have affected it in a lesser degree. The
next table (from the Registrar General's Annual Summary for 1897) shows the
Sanitary Districts of which the Groups consist, and it will be observed that in the
East Group the epidemic prevalence appears to have commenced in Bethnal
Green District and to have spread from that centre.