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
London County Council 1897
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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27
Scarlet Fever.
The cases of scarlet fever notified in the Administrative County of London during 1897
numbered 22,904, compared with 25,758 in 1896. The number of deaths registered from this cause
in 1897 was 778. giving a death rate of 0.17 per 1,000 living: per annum.
The London rates in 1897 and preceding periods are shown in the following table—
| Period. | Death rate per 1,000 living. | Case rate per 1,000 living. | Case mortality per cent. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1861-70 | 1.13 | _* | — |
| 1871-80 | 0.60 | _* | — |
| 1881-90 | 0.33 | _1 | — |
| 1891 | 0.141 | 2.7 | 5.1 |
| 1892 | 0.271 | 6.4 | 4.3 |
| 1893 | 0.37] | 8.6 | 4.3 |
| 1894 | 0.221 | 4.3 | 5.2 |
| 1895 | 0.191 | 4.5 | 4.2 |
| 1896 | 0.211 | 5.7 | 3.7 |
| 1897 | 0.171 | 5.1 | 3.0 |
The death rate in each year in relation to the mean death rate of the period 1859-97 is shown
in diagram VI.
It will be seen from the following table that in the period 1887-96 the London scarlet fever
death rate exceeded the rates of Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Nottingham and Hull, and in 1897 the
rates of West Ham, Bristol, Nottingham and Bradford—
| Towns. | 1887-96. | 1897. | Towns. | 1887-96. | 1897. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | .25 | .182 | West Ham | .25 | .11 |
| Manchester | .39 | .23 | Bristol | .24 | .08 |
| Liverpool | .48 | .33 | Nottingham | .18 | .15 |
| Birmingham | .22 | .18 | Bradford | .29 | .04 |
| Leeds | .21 | .23 | Hull | .18 | .27 |
| Sheffield | .41 | .26 | Salford | .52 | .29 |
If the London scarlet fever death rate be compared with the death rates of the undermentioned
foreign cities it will be seen that in the period 1887-96 the London death rate was higher
than those of Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Berlin, and Rome; and in 1897 exceeded those of Paris,
Brussels, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Berlin, Vienna and Rome—
| Towns. | 1887-96. | 1897. | Towns. | 1887-96. | 1897. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | .25 | .182 | St. Petersburg | .70 | .71 |
| Paris | .08 | .02 | Berlin | .23 | .13 |
| Brussels | .04 | .04 | Vienna | .25 | .16 |
| Amsterdam | .04 | .02 | Rome | .04 | .01 |
| Copenhagen | .30 | .06 | New York | .45 | .25 |
| Stockholm | .66 | .24 |
In the distribution of the scarlet fever mortality in London, the central group of districts had
the highest death rate during the year as a whole, and the northern the lowest. Of the districts,
Rotherhithe suffered most, and Marylebone and Stoke Newington were least affected. During the first
quarter of the year the central and western groups of districts had the highest death rate, and the
eastern the lowest; during the second quarter the western, northern and central groups suffered in
like proportion, all being below the average of London, and the southern group had the highest
mortality; in the third quarter of the year there was a general rise of the mortality in all the groups
of districts, the northern having the lowest and the central the highest death rate; and during the
fourth quarter but one group, the northern, was below the average of London, the central being the
highest of the groups and greatly above the average of London for the whole year.
* The Infectious Diseases (Notification) Act only came into force in 1889.
1 See footnote (!), page 7.
2 See footnote (2), page 7.