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 1899
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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| Towns. | 1889-98. | 1899. | Towns. | 1889-98. | 1899. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0.211 | 0.091 | St. Petersburg | 0.72 | 0.44 |
| Paris | 0.07 | 0.08 | Berlin | 0.22 | 0.36 |
| Brussels | 0.04 | 0.06 | Vienna | 0.21 | 0.16 |
| Amsterdam | 0.03 | 0.02 | Rome | 0.02 | 0.01 |
| Copenhagen | 0.23 0.55 | 0.29 0.16 | New York | 0.36 | 0.15 |
In the distribution of scarlet fever mortality in London throughout the year 1899 the
central group of districts had the highest death rate (0.ll) and the eastern group of districts the
lowest (0.06). Of the districts the mortality was highest in Rotherhithe (0.27) and lowest
in St. Giles and St. Martin-in-the-Fields. During the first quarter of the year the
southern group of districts had the highest death rate (0.11) and the central group the lowest
(0.03); during the second quarter the western group of districts had the highest death rate (0.11)
and the eastern the lowest (0.04); during the third quarter of the year the central group of
districts had the highest death rate (0.12), the death rates of the northern, eastern, and southern
groups being equal, viz., 0.07 per 1,000 living; during the fourth quarter of the year the central
group of districts again had the highest death rate (0.20) and the eastern group the lowest (0.07).
The case rate of each district in 1891-8 and in 1899 and the death rate of each district in 1889-98 and in 1899 are shown in the following table-
| Sanitary district. | Cases, 1899. | Case-rate per 1,000 living. | Deaths, 1899. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1891-98. | 1899. | 1889-98. | 1899. | |||
| Paddington | 384 | 3.9 | 3.0 | 5 | .13 | .04 |
| Kensington | 444 | 3.8 | 2.6 | 10 | .18 | .06 |
| Hammersmith | 439 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 13 | .18 | .12 |
| Fulham | 847 | 5.1 | 6.5 | 33 | .26 | .25 |
| Chelsea | 282 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 8 | .20 | .08 |
| St. George, Hanover-square | 198 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 7 | .12 | .09 |
| Westminster | 200 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 5 | .21 | .10 |
| St. James | 49 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 1 | .17 | .05 |
| Marylebone | 400 | 4.0 | 2.9 | 15 | .19 | .11 |
| Hampstead | 289 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 6 | .11 | .07 |
| Pancras | 862 | 5.2 | 3.5 | 25 | .20 | .10 |
| Islington | 1,498 | 5.1 | 4.3 | 34 | .18 | .10 |
| Stoke Newington | 182 | 6.0 | 5.2 | 3 | .20 | .09 |
| Hackney | 988 | 4.5 | 16 | .07 | ||
| St. Giles | 76 | 3.9 | 2.0 | - | .14 | - |
| St. Martin-in-the-Fields | 31 | 3.5 | 2.6 | -- | .15 | - |
| Strand | 55 | 3.9 | 2.4 | 1 | .20 | .01 |
| Holborn | 117 | 5.0 | 4.0 | 3 | .21 | .10 |
| Clerkenwell | 321 | 5.9 | 4.9 | 13 | .28 | .20 |
| St. Luke | 162 | 5.1 | 4.0 | 8 | .35 | .20 |
| London, City of | 74 | 4.7 | 2.7 | 1 | .18 * | .04 |
| Shoreditch | 364 | 5.1 | 3.0 | 13 | .26 | .11 |
| Bethnal-green | 430 | 6.4 | 3.3 | 9 | .28 | .07 |
| Whitechapel | 209 | 5.8 | 2.6 | 2 | .24 | .02 |
| St. George-in-the-East | 99 | 5.7 | 2.0 | 3 | .35 | .06 |
| Limehouse | 171 | 6.7 | 2.9 | 1 | .33 | .02 |
| Mile-end Old-town | 294 | 6.4 | 2.6 | 5 | .26 | .04 |
| Poplar | 420 | 6.2 | 2.5 | 10 | .26 | .06 |
| St. Saviour, Southwark | 91 | 4.6 | 3.8 | 2 | .27 | .08 |
| St. George, Southwark | 237 | 5.6 | 3.9 | .32 | .10 | |
| Newington | 509 | 5.6 | 4.1 | .26 | .10 | |
| St. Olave | 64 | 5.3 | 5.8 | 2 | .28 | .18 |
| Bermondsey | 402 | 5.4 | 4.7 | 10 | .29 | .12 |
| Rotherhithe | 256 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 11 | .26 | .27 |
| Lambeth | 1,014 | 4.9 | 3.3 | 25 | .20 | .08 |
| Battersea | 723 | 6.5 | 4.1 | 14 | .21 | .08 |
| Wandsworth | 911 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 9 | .13 | .04 |
| Camberwell | 1,144 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 19 | .18 | .07 |
| Greenwich | 1,206 | 5.7 | 6.6 | 17 | .23 | .09 |
| Lewisham | 710 | 3.3 | 6.3 | 6 | .09 | .05 |
| Woolwich | 167 | 4.3 | 4.0 | 4 | .22 | .10 |
| Lee | 195 | 6.2 | 4.9 | 4 | .17 | .10 |
| Plumstead | 708 | 11.1 | 6 | .25 | .09 | |
| Port of London | 2 | - | - | - | - | - |
| London | 18,224 | 51 | 4.0 | 398 | .212 | .092 |
In this table where — is inserted 110 deaths occurred.
1 See footnote (2), page 3. * See footnote (1) page 3.