London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kensington 1920
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kensington Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
Table showing Kensington death-rates in quinquennial periods since 1896:—
| Period. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. |
|---|---|
| 1896-1900 | 16.4 |
| 1901-1905 | 14.4 |
| 1906-1910 | 13.8 |
| 1911-1915 | 14.3 |
| 1916-1920 | 15.6 |
Causes of Death.—The following list shows certain causes of death which are important in themselves or from the fact that they contributed a considerable share to the total mortality for the year:—
| Cause of Death. | Number of Deaths. |
|---|---|
| Principal Zymotic (or epidemic diseases) | 156 |
| Epidemic Influenza | 46 |
| Puerperal Fever | 5 |
| Phthisis | 135 |
| Other Tuberculous Diseases | 44 |
| Cancer | 238 |
| Bronchitis | 162 |
| Pneumonia | 192 |
| Heart Diseases | 280 |
| Bright's Disease | 78 |
| Diseases and Accidents of Parturition | 6 |
| Premature Birth | 58 |
| Accidents | 61 |
| Old Age | 61 |
| All other Causes | 671 |
| 2,193 |
It will be seen that more than one-third of the deaths, or 769, were due to disease of the heart
or the organs of respiration. Phthisis, an infectious or preventable disease, caused 135 deaths.
The diseases described in the above list as the "principal zymotic diseases" are small-pox,
measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria, whooping-cough, enteric fever (including fever not otherwise
defined) and diarrhoea; together they were responsible for a very substantial number of deaths, the
causes of which are very largely preventable.
As the zymotic death rate is, with certain reservations, accepted as a test of the sanitary state of the district in which it prevails, the following table showing the rates for London and Kensington in the last three years, may be regarded as not altogether unsatisfactory.
| Deaths from Principal Zymotic Diseases per 1000 persons living. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Period. | Kensington. | London. |
| 1918 | 0.81 | 1.45 |
| 1919 | 0.87 | 0.76 |
| 1920 | 0.95 | 1.00 |
Table showing various Causes of Death in 1920, arranged in Four-Weekly Periods.
| Four Weeks ending | Measles. | Scarlet Fever. | Whooping-Cough. | Diphtheria. | Influenza. | Phthisis. | Cancer. | Bronchitis. | Pneumonia. | Diarrhœaand Enteritis. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 31 | 3 | — | 3 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 18 | 23 | 20 | 2 |
| February 28 | 2 | — | 10 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 18 | 21 | 3 |
| March 27 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 11 | 17 | 21 | 22 | 5 |
| April 24 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 10 | 6 | 10 | 23 | 4 |
| May 22 | 3 | — | — | 3 | 14 | 21 | 6 | 15 | 7 | |
| June 19 | 3 | 3 | — | 1 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 6 | 9 | 7 |
| July 17 | 2 | — | 1 | — | 2 | 7 | 21 | 4 | 10 | 3 |
| August 14 | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 21 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
| Sept. 11 | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | 12 | 22 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
| October 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 12 | 24 | 5 | 8 | 10 |
| November 6 | — | — | — | — | 1 | 12 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 9 |
| December 4 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 13 | 21 | 24 | 19 | 11 |
| January 1, 1921 | — | — | 3 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 28 | 29 | 6 |
| Totals | 23 | 5 | 22 | 24 | 46 | 135 | 238 | 162 | 192 | 81 |