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 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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It will be seen from the foregoing table that in the period 1904-8 and the year 1909 Shoreditch
(161 and 140 respectively) and Bermondsey (147 and 138 respectively) had the highest infantile
death-rates and Hampstead (83 and 75 respectively) and Lewisham (101 and 74 respectively) had the
lowest.
The deaths under one year of age per 1000 births, during each of the four quarters of the year,
were as follows:— First quarter 112; second quarter 92; third quarter 109; fourth quarter 116.
The reports of Medical Officers of Health of the several sanitary areas of the Administrative
County for the year 1909 contain tables prepared in accordance with the instructions of the
Local Government Board giving the number of deaths, from all causes and certain specified causes, of
infants at different age-periods in the first year of life. From the information thus supplied,
the following table has been compiled, showing the figures for London as a whole.
Infantile mortality during the year 1909 (52 weeks). Deaths from stated causes in the first four weeks of life and in months under one year of age.
| Cause of death. | Under 1 Week. | 1-2 Weeks. | 2-3 Weeks. | 3-4 Weeks. | Total under 1 Month. | 1-2 Months. | 2-3 Months. | 3-4 Months. | 4-5 Months. | 5-6 Months. | 6-7 Months. | 7-8 Months. | 8-9 Months. | 9-10 Months. | 10-11 Months. | 11-12 Months. | Total Deaths under one year. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common Infectious Diseases— | |||||||||||||||||
| Small-pox | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chicken-pox | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 4 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Measles | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 17 | 33 | 60 | 63 | 83 | 108 | 118 | 503 |
| Scarlet Fever | — | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 | — | 1 | 2 | — | 2 | 6 | 5 | 20 |
| Diphtheria and Croup | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 2 | — | 1 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 60 |
| Whooping-cough | 1 | — | 4 | 5 | 10 | 33 | 32 | 48 | 32 | 40 | 45 | 54 | 53 | 56 | 62 | 59 | 524 |
| Diarrhal Diseases— | |||||||||||||||||
| Diarrhœa, all forms | 1 | 9 | 7 | 15 | 32 | 112 | 146 | 144 | 145 | 105 | 97 | 90 | 75 | 65 | 54 | 52 | 1,117 |
| Enteritis (not tuberculous) | 3 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 44 | 70 | 97 | 81 | 70 | 71 | 41 | 35 | 32 | 29 | 22 | 20 | 612 |
| Gastritis, Gastrointestinal Catarrh | 2 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 17 | 22 | 16 | 19 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 120 |
| Wasting Diseases— | |||||||||||||||||
| Premature Birth | 1,473 | 190 | 151 | 107 | 1,921 | 121 | 37 | 16 | 10 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | — | 1 | 1 | 2,122 |
| Congenital Defects | 325 | 67 | 37 | 36 | 465 | 69 | 37 | 24 | 15 | 13 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 667 |
| Injury at Birth | 106 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 113 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | _ | — | — | — | 113 |
| Want of Breast-milk | 6 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 26 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 2 | _ | 2 | _ | 1 | _ | 69 |
| Atrophy, Debility, Marasmus | 259 | 126 | 116 | 115 | 616 | 285 | 223 | 179 | 138 | 78 | 66 | 54 | 32 | 29 | 30 | 26 | 1,756 |
| Tuberculous Diseases— | |||||||||||||||||
| Tuberculous Meningitis | — | 1 | — | — | 1 | 8 | 3 | 12 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 18 | 17 | 28 | 23 | 29 | 203 |
| Tuberculous Peritonitis : Tabes Mesen-terica | 2 | 2 | 12 | 17 | 23 | 18 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 17 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 145 | |||
| Other Tuberculous | _ | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 11 | 19 | 17 | 12 | 19 | 19 | 27 | 19 | 14 | 15 | 188 |
| Diseases | |||||||||||||||||
| Erysipelas | — | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 48 |
| Syphilis | 10 | 20 | 13 | 14 | 57 | 58 | 39 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 216 |
| Rickets | — | 1 | — | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 45 |
| Meningitis (not Tuberculous) | — | 5 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 16 | 20 | 14 | 12 | 170 |
| Convulsions | 86 | 59 | 29 | 21 | 195 | 72 | 44 | 35 | 30 | 31 | 20 | 19 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 15 | 495 |
| Bronchitis | 13 | 19 | 38 | 47 | 117 | 141 | 100 | 69 | 60 | 81 | 66 | 67 | 78 | 69 | 57 | 55 | 960 |
| Laryngitis | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 2 | 3 | 4 | — | — | 3 | 15 |
| Pneumonia | 14 | 18 | 29 | 32 | 93 | 131 | 111 | 96 | 94 | 81 | 87 | 101 | 139 | 121 | 138 | 142 | 1,334 |
| Suffocation, overlaying | 55 | 11 | 20 | 21 | 107 | 75 | 60 | 40 | 12 | 12 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | — | 322 |
| Other causes | 181 | 50 | 55 | 30 | 316 | 93 | 58 | 59 | 47 | 39 | 51 | 35 | 43 | 41 | 36 | 34 | 852 |
| Total (All Causes) | 2,535 | 612 | 540 | 471 | 4,158 | 1,346 | 1,060 | 912 | 764 | 676 | 624 | 625 | 661 | 611 | 626 | 623 | 12,686 |