London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
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]
This page requires JavaScript
42
Diarrhoea.
The deaths in the Administrative County of London attributed to diarrhoea and dysentery
in the year 1899 numbered 4,196, compared with 4,365 in the year 1898.
The death rates in 1899 and preceding periods are shown in the following table—
| Period. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. | Period. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851-60 | 1.03 | 1894 | 0.411 |
| 1861-70 | 1.04 | 1895 | 0.821 |
| 1871-80 | 0.95 | 1896 | 0.711 |
| 1881-90 | 0.75 | 1897 | 0.921 |
| 1891 | 0.571 | 1898 | 0.971 |
| 1892 | 0.601 | 1899 | 0.921 |
| 1893 | 0.801 |
The diarrhoea death rate in each year since 1840 in relation to the mean death rate of the
period 1841-99 is shown in diagram XV. The mean temperature of the summer quarter of each
year in relation to the mean of the period 1841-99 is also shown. The intimate relation between
the temperature of the summer quarter and the prevalence of diarrhoea is most marked.
The age distribution of the deaths2 from this disease in the Registration County of County in the year 1899 was as follows—
| Under 1 year. | 1-5. | 5-20. | 20-40. | 40-60. | 60-80. | 80 and upwards. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,330 | 519 | 21 | 22 | 65 | 173 | 66 |
It will thus be seen that over 79 per cent. of the total deaths occurred among children
under one year of age and over 91 per cent. among children under five years of age.
It will be seen from the following table that the London diarrhoea death rate was lower
than that of any of the undermentioned towns in the year 1899 and in the period 1889-98 was
lower than that of any except Bristol—
| Towns. | 1889-98. | 1899. | Towns. | 1889-98. | 1899. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0.722 | 0 .932 | Bristol | 0.58 | 1.ll |
| Manchester | 1.21 | 1.83 | Nottingham | 1.04 | 1.68 |
| Liverpool | 1.24 | 1.87 | Bradford | 0.91 | 0.97 |
| Birmingham | 1.18 | 1.67 | Hull | 1.43 | 1.46 |
| Leeds | 1.12 | 0.94 | Salford | 1.51 | 1.97 |
| Sheffield | 1.31 | 1.58 | West Ham | 0.81 | 1.55 |
During the year the eastern group of districts had the highest death rate and the northern
group the lowest. Among the several sanitary districts the death rate was highest in St. George,
Southwark, and lowest in the City. During the first quarter of the year the central group of
districts had the highest death rate and the northern and eastern groups the lowest; during the
second quarter the eastern group had the highest death rate and the southern group the lowest;
during the third quarter the eastern group again had the highest death rate and the northern the
lowest; while during the fourth quarter the southern group had the highest death rate and the
northern again the lowest.
9 See footnote (1), page 3.
2 See footnote (2), page 3.