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 1908
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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The following table shows that the London death-rate from six of these principal epidemic
diseases, viz.: smallpox, measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria (including croup), whooping cough and
enteric fever was, in the decennium 1898-1907, higher than the death-rates of all the undermentioned
foreign towns, except St. Petersburg and in 1908 higher than that of all except St. Petersburg,
Vienna, Rome and New York:—
| Town. | 1898-1907. | 1908. | Town. | 1898-1907. | 1908. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Petersburg | 2.97 | 3.59 | |||
| Paris | 0.74 | 0.50 | Berlin | 0.95 | 0.77 |
| Brussels | 0.60 | 0.59 | Vienna | 0.86 | 0.89 |
| Amsterdam | 0.87 | 0.74 | Rome | 0.97 | 1.49 |
| Copenhagen | 0.80 | 0.72 | New York | 1.21 | 1.08 |
| Stockholm | 0.85 | 0.39 |
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 1908, and the death-rates for the
period 1903-7:—
| Sanitary area. | Deaths, 190S (53 weeks). | Death-rate per 1,000 persons living. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1903-7. | 1908. | ||
| Paddington | 133 | 1.34 | 0.87 |
| Kensington | 169 | 1.39 | 0.92 |
| Hammersmith | 137 | 1.83 | 1.09 |
| Fulham | 277 | 2.31 | 1.59 |
| Chelsea | 90 | 1.43 | 1.18 |
| Westminster, City of | 102 | 0.85 | 0.58 |
| St. Marylebone | 110 | 1.30 | 0.85 |
| Hampstead | 39 | 0.56 | 0.40 |
| St. Pancras | 255 | 1.65 | 1.06 |
| Islington | 353 | 1.50 | 1.01 |
| Stoke Newington | 45 | 1.17 | 0.82 |
| Hackney | 365 | 1.77 | 1.52 |
| Holborn | 59 | 1.41 | 1.07 |
| Finsbury | 205 | 2.50 | 2.09 |
| London, City of | 8 | 0.79 | 0.40 |
| Shoreditch | 245 | 3.05 | 2.09 |
| Bethnal Green | 329 | 2.39 | 2.48 |
| Stepney | 800 | 2.50 | 2.53 |
| Poplar | 394 | 2.81 | 2.26 |
| Southwark | 378 | 2.32 | 1.76 |
| Bermondsey | 299 | 2.46 | 2.30 |
| Lambeth | 387 | 1.66 | 1.18 |
| Battersea | 222 | 1.83 | 1.19 |
| Wandsworth | 275 | 1.51 | 0.93 |
| Camberwell | 306 | 1.57 | 1.06 |
| Deptford | 157 | 1.99 | 1.32 |
| Greenwich | 140 | 1.71 | 1.25 |
| Lewisham | 197 | 1.13 | 1.25 |
| Woolwich | 123 | 1.49 | 0.92 |
It will be seen from the foregoing table that the death-rate from the principal epidemic diseases
in the period 1903-7 was highest in Shoreditch (3.05) and lowest in Hampstead (0.56) and in the year
1908. was highest in Stepney (2.53) and lowest in Hampstead and the City of London (0.40). The
death-rates from these diseases during each of the four quarters of the year were as follows: First
quarter, 1.18; second quarter, 1.06; third quarter, 1.94; and fourth quarter, 1.25 per 1,000 persons
living.
Smallpox and Vaccination.
No case of smallpox is known to have occurred in the Administrative County of London during
the year 1908; two deaths were attributed to cowpox.
1 See footnote (1), page 8.
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