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 1905
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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| Towns. | 1895-1904. | 1905. | Towns. | 1895-1904. | 1905. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.711 | West Ham | 3.46 | 2.98 | ||
| Liverpool | 3.40 | 2.59 | Bradford | 1.98 | 1.42 |
| Manchester | 3.26 | 2.25 | Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 2.11 | 1.33 |
| Birmingham | 3.03 | 1.90 | Hull | 3.10 | 2.37 |
| Leeds | 2.64 | 1.61 | Nottingham | 2.49 | 2.27 |
| Sheffield | 3.29 | 3.20 | Salford | 4.16 | 2.57 |
| Bristol | 1.88 | 1.50 | Leicester | 2.75 | 1.62 |
The following table shows that the London death-rate from the first six of these principal
epidemic diseases, viz , smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria (including croup), whooping
cough, and fever (including typhus, enteric fever and pyrexia), both in the period 1895-1904 and in
the year 1905, exceeded the rates of all the undermentioned foreign towns except St. Petersburg.
| Towns. | 1895-1904. | 1905. | Towns. | 1895-1904. | 1905. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Petersburg | 3.09 | 3.33 | |||
| Paris | 0.81 | 0.48 | Berlin | 1.03 | 0.84 |
| Brussels | 0.68 | 0.36 | Vienna | 1.05 | 0.80 |
| Amsterdam | 0.82 | 0.96 | Rome | 1.02 | 0.82 |
| Copenhagen | 0.91 | 0.54 | New York | 1.38 | 0.89 |
| Stockholm | 0.90 | 0.91 |
The following table shows the deaths from the principal epidemic diseases and the death-rates per 1,000 persons living in each of the sanitary areas of the County in 1905, and the period 1901-4:—
| Sanitary area. | Deaths in 1905. | Death-rate per 1,000 persons living. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1901-4. | 1905. | ||
| Paddington | 205 | 1.59 | 1.39 |
| Kensington | 250 | 1.57 | 1.39 |
| Hammersmith | 202 | 2.24 | 1.70 |
| Fulham | 425 | 2.67 | 2.71 |
| Chelsea | 76 | 1.50 | 1.03 |
| Westminster, City of | 140 | 1.14 | 0.81 |
| St. Marylebone | 143 | 1.69 | 1.12 |
| Hampstead.. | 47 | 0.77 | 0.53 |
| St. Pancras | 354 | 2.21 | 1.50 |
| Islington | 502 | 1.76 | 1.47 |
| Stoke Newington | 60 | 1.27 | 1.14 |
| Hackney | 451 | 2.01 | 1.98 |
| Holborn | 63 | 2.00 | 1.12 |
| Finsbury | 213 | 2.70 | 2.17 |
| London, City of .. | 13 | 0.98 | 0.57 |
| Shoreditch | 344 | 3.16 | 2.96 |
| Bethnal-green | 294 | 2.67 | 2.27 |
| Stepney | 787 | 2.78 | 2.58 |
| Poplar | 451 | 3.04 | 2.65 |
| Southwark | 500 | 2.81 | 2.39 |
| Bermondsey | 285 | 2.88 | 2.21 |
| Lambeth | 465 | 1.96 | 1.50 |
| Battersea | 351 | 2.19 | 1.99 |
| Wandsworth | 386 | 1.64 | 1.46 |
| Camberwell | 354 | 1.99 | 1.30 |
| Deptford | 135 | 2.41 | 1.19 |
| Greenwich | 133 | 1.93 | 1.30 |
| Lewisham | 137 | 1.45 | 0.95 |
| Woolwich | 128 | 1.75 | 1.02 |
It will be seen from the foregoing table that the death-rate from the principal epidemic diseases
was, both in the period 1901-4 and the year 1905, highest in Shoreditch (3.16 and 2.96) and lowest in
Hampstead (0.17 and 0'53). The death-rates from these diseases during each of the four quarters of the
year 1905 were as follows—first quarter, 1.09; second quarter, 1.34; third quarter, 2.98; and fourth
quarter 1.33 per 1,000 persons living.
1 See footnote (2) page 9.
2 See footnote (1) page 9.