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

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Wandsworth 1903

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth, Metropolitan Borough]

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73
Report of the Medical Officer of Health.
in the Metropolis the following Boroughs have adopted this
form of notification : —
Finsbury. Hampstead. Southwark.
Greenwich Kensington. Stoke Newington.
Hammersmith. Lambeth. Woolwich.
islington and some other Metropolitan Boroughs are considering
the matter, while in the provinces no fewer than 36 Urban
Authorities have adopted it. Among the more important of these
Districts may be mentioned: —
Manchester. Cardiff. Nottingham.
Liverpool. Edinburgh. Sheffield.
Brighton. Leeds. Southampton.
That consumption is one of the most fatal of all diseases-is
graphically seen in the Chart
Out of a total of 27,761 deaths in the Borough during the 10
years 1892-1901, consumption of the lungs was the cause of 2,183,
and if all other diseases of a tubercular nature are included, 3,037
deaths ; while from the five principal Zymotic diseases the total
number of deaths was 2,477.
During the 10 years 1892-1901 the average death-rate from
all causes was 14.2, while from consumption the rate was 1.13, and
if all other tubercular diseases be included 1.5 per 1,000.
From the five Zymotics—measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever,
enteric fever, and whooping cough—the death-rate was 1.27 per
1,000.
Again, if we take the three chief notifiable diseases—scarlet
fever, enteric fever, and diphtheria—the total number of deaths
was only 944, compared with 2,183 from consumption.
The chart shows that the mortality from Phthisis for the 10
years 1892-1901 to every 100 deaths from all causes was 7.8, while
from the five principal Zymotics the mortality only shows an
increase of 1 per 100.
From all Tubercular diseases, including consumption, the
mortality was 10.9, so that from these a little more than one-tenth
of all the deaths are due; a sufficiently serious condition to warrant
this Council in taking some action which may, and undoubtedly
will, be productive of some benefit to the community.