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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48
The Registrar-General in the annual summaries for 1894, 1895, 1896 and 1897 relating to
London, has distributed the deaths from phthisis occurring in public institutions belonging to London
to the sanitary districts to which they belong, and it is therefore possible to compare the phthisis death
rates of the various sanitary districts.

Table: The death1 rates in the several groups of districts since 1893 have been as follows—

The death1 rates in the several groups of districts since 1893 have been as follows—

1894.1895.1896.1897.
Central group ..2.582.652.532.69
East ,,2.002.051.892.03
South „1.541.701.601.62
North „1.601.631.581.55
West ,,1.551.551.541.53

Table: The following table shows the number ol deaths and the death rate per 1,000 living in 1897 in the several sanitary districts of London —

The following table shows the number ol deaths and the death rate per 1,000 living in 1897 in the several sanitary districts of London —

Sanitary district.Deaths, 1897.Death rate per 1,000 living.Sanitary district.Deaths, 1897.Death rate per 1,000 living.
Paddington1421.13Bethnal-green2551.98
Kensington2471.44Whitechapel2002.52
Hammersmith1461.38St. George-in-the-East1322.76
Fulham1841.54Limehouse1492.55
Chelsea1751.81Mile-end Old-town1561.40
St. George, Hanover-sq.931.16Poplar3191.88
Westminster1432.70St. Saviour, Southwark803.22
St. James512.27St. George, Southwark1712.84
Marylebone2461.75Newington2692.21
Hampstead570.74St. Olave332.88
Pancras4862.01Bermondsey1742.04
Islington4911.44Rotherhithe641.58
Stoke Newington401.17Lambeth5001.67
Hackney3101.43Battersea2511.49
St. Giles1132.99Wandsworth2221.14
St. Martin-in-the-Fields332.60Camberwell3861.50
Strand793.36Greenwich2631.48
Holborn842.76Lewisham970.90
Clerkenwell1552.35Woolwich791.91
St. Luke1283.11Lee431.10
London, City of571.89Plumstead951.56
Shoreditch2472.03London7,6451711

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It will therefore be seen that in the several districts the death rate from phthisis varied from
0.74 (Hampstead) to 3.36 (Strand). In the distribution of phthisis mortality in London during the
whole of the year, the central group of districts suffered most severely, and the western group suffered
least. During each of the four quarters of the year the central group also had the highest death rate.
The western had the lowest death rate during the first two quarters, and the northern during the
third and fourth quarters.
Phthisis Mid overcrowding.
The census of 1891 shows the number of persons occupying less than five rooms in the several
sanitary districts, and from the figures given it is possible to show the proportion of the population of
each district occupying tenements of one, two, three and four rooms in which there were more than
two persons to a room. Employing the term "overcrowding" to represent such usage and grouping
the various districts in accordance with the proportion of " overcrowding "shown by the census figures
of 1891, it was shown in my annual report for 1894 (page 42) that the phthisis death rate in these
groups of districts followed the order of overcrowding. The following table shows the results obtained
from similar treatment of the figures relating to 1895, 1896 and 1897, the figures of 1894 are
reproduced for purposes of comparison.

Table: Phthisis, 1894-7.

Phthisis, 1894-7.

Proportion of total population living more than two in a room (in tenements of less than five rooms).Death rates1 per 1,000 living.
1894.1895.1896.1897.
Districts with under 10 per cent.1.071.181.071.14
„ „ 10 to 15 „1.381.491.461.42
„ „ 15 to 20 „1.571.641.611.63
„ „ 20 to 25 „1.811.831.671.75
„ „ 25 to 30 „2.112.092.062.10
„ „ 30 to 35 „2.262.422.132.32
„ „ over 35 „2.462.662.552.64

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1 See footnote (1), page 7.