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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and four weeks subsequent to the weeks most subject to holiday influence be compared, the following
results are obtained for the age periods of 0—3, 3—13, and 13 years and upwards. It will be seen
that the decrease in the number of cases notified during the period of holiday influence, and the
increase in the subsequent period is most marked at the school age.
| Period. | Notified cases-Ages. | Increase or decrease per cent. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0-3. | 3-13. | 13 and upwards. | 0-3. | 3-13. | 13 and upwards. | |
| Four weeks preceding weeks of holiday influence (28th to 31st) | 169 | 804 | 269 | - | - | - |
| Four weeks of holiday influence (32nd to 35th) | 182 | 525 | 237 | + 7-7 | -34 7 | -11 9 |
| Four weeks following weeks of holiday influence (36th to 39th)... | 165 | 759 | 270 | - 9-3 | +44(5 | + 13-9 |
It is interesting to observe that the relative incidence of attack upon London children, 3-13 years, continues to increase. This increase has been manifested in each year for a considerable period, the percentage in successive years being as follows—
Number of children, atred 3-13, per cent, of total cases of diphtheria at all aces notified.
| 1892 | 50.9 | 1896 | 60.3 |
| 1893 | 51.0 | 1897 | 60.5 |
| 1894 | 57.8 | 1898 | 61.8 |
| 1895 | 57.8 | 1899 | 62.9 |
These figures will need further consideration when the age distribution of the population is
known as the result of the census of 1901, but in the meantime it is interesting to observe that although
there has been increase of incidence upon the school age in each successive year in London as a whole,
this increase has not been manifested in the same way in each district. This will be seen from the
following table relating to the years 1897, 1898 and 1899.
| Sanitary district. | 1897. | 1898. | 1899. | Sanitary district. | 1897. | 1898. | 1899. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paddington | 63.8 | 57.3 | 63.2 | Whitechapel | 51.8 | 52.4 | 50.0 |
| Kensington | 61.8 | 54.5 | 51.6 | St. George - in - the-. East | 66.5 | 51.3 | 60.6 |
| Hammersmith | 52.7 | 61.6 | 61.9 | ||||
| Fulham | 64.9 | 68.7 | 70.6 | Limehouse | 59.9 | 67.2 | 68.9 |
| Chelsea | 61.5 | 65. 9 | 60.4 | Mile.end Old.town | 625 | 58.8 | 63.3 |
| St. George, Hanover. square | 63.2 | 50.5 | 48.3 | Poplar | 630 | 64.6 | 57.7 |
| St. Saviour, Southwark | 55.8 | 61.7 | 72.6 | ||||
| Westminster | 59.5 | 61.4 | 54.5 | ||||
| St. James | 54.0 | 50.0 | 64.9 | St. George, Southwark | 66.3 | 56.7 | 68.8 |
| Marylebone | 50.7 | 53.6 | 57.2 | ||||
| Hampstead | 55.1 | 52.6 | 50.0 | Newington | 58.6 | 65.6 | 65.5 |
| Pancras | 58.7 | 61.0 | 60.1 | St. Olave | 57.1 | 68.7 | 51.6 |
| Islington | 63.4 | 60.4 | 64.8 | Bermondsey | 61.9 | 68.4 | 65.6 |
| Stoke Newington | 59.3 | 55.6 | 66.7 | Rotherhithe | 61.6 | 47.6 | 68.4 |
| Hackney | 63.2 | 66.2 | 59.7 | Lambeth | 60.2 | 67.9 | 67.5 |
| St. Giles | 61.8 | 60.0 | 45.2 | Battersea | 59.1 | 67.0 | 68.3 |
| St. Martin - in - the Fields- | 35.7 | 75.0 | 41.2 | Wandsworth | 62.9 | 63.4 | 65.8 |
| Camberwell | 63.7 | 61.0 | 66.3 | ||||
| Strand | 58.5 | 55.1 | 59.5 | Greenwich | 54.6 | 56.9 | 59.9 |
| Holborn | 61.6 | 55.2 | 49.2 | Lewisham (excluding Penge) | 57.8 | 60.5 | 63.7 |
| Clerkenwell | 65.9 | 63.4 | 64.3 | ||||
| St. Luke | 60.2 | 55.7 | 50.0 | Woolwich | 68.2 | 70.6 | 64.6 |
| London, City of | 55.6 | 35.6 | 38.6 | Lee | 56.4 | 60.5 | 51.1 |
| Shoreditch | 56.7 | 53.3 | 56.7 | Plumstead | 61.5 | 61.3 | 66.5 |
| Bethnal.green | 52.7 | 58..8 | 57.7 |
Apart from the question of prevalence of diphtheria an increasing incidence of the disease on
the school age indicates need for watchfulness, for such increase of incidence may be due to school
attendance without being accompanied by notable prevalence of notified cases of the disease. Thus,
cases due to infection in a particular school may be notified with considerable periods of time between
them, these periods being so long as to obscure the part the school is playing in the spread of the
disease. The connection between the notified cases is probably maintained by many unrecognised