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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of infants surviving to the age in question. The table shows that the greatest decrease per cent.
has been experienced in the sixth and seventh months of life, and the smallest decrease in the first
and twelfth months of life:—
| Age-period. | Death-rate per 1,000 living at commencement of each age-period. | Decrease in death- rate in 1909 as compared with 1905. | Decrease per cent. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905. | 1909. | |||
| Weeks. | ||||
| 0— | 22.92 | 21.75 | 1.17 | 5.1 |
| 1— | 6.57 | 5.37 | 1.20 | 18.3 |
| 2— | 5.46 | 4.76 | 0.70 | 12.7 |
| 3— | 4.64 | 4.17 | 0.47 | 10.0 |
| Months. | ||||
| 0— | 39.11 | 35.67 | 3.44 | 8.8 |
| 1— | 14.84 | 11.97 | 2.87 | 19.3 |
| 2— | 11.84 | 9.54 | 2.30 | 19.3 |
| 3— | 10.28 | 8.29 | 1.99 | 19.3 |
| 4— | 8.86 | 7.00 | 1.86 | 20.9 |
| 5— | 8.51 | 6.24 | 2.27 | 26.6 |
| 6— | 813 | 5.80 | 2.33 | 28.7 |
| 7— | 7.51 | 5.84 | 1.67 | 22.2 |
| 8— | 7.80 | 6.21 | 1.59 | 20.4 |
| 9— | 7.56 | 5.78 | 1.78 | 23.6 |
| 10— | 7.39 | 5.95 | 1.44 | 19.4 |
| 11— | 6.40 | 5.96 | 0.44 | 6.9 |
With a view to comparing the rates of mortality from the several groups of diseases in the
years 1905.9 the following table has been prepared. It will be seen that in 1909 the greatest decrease
has occurred in deaths from diarrhceal diseases, and inasmuch as deaths from these diseases constitute
an especially large proportion of the infant deaths from all causes, to this decrease is due in the
main the comparatively low infantile mortality of that year. This decrease is chiefly due to the
favourable meteorological conditions of 1909. in.
| Year. | All causes. | Measles. | Whooping. cough. | Diarrhceal diseases. | Wasting diseases. | Tuberculous diseases. | Meningitis and convulsions. | Bronchitis. | Pneumonia. | Other causes. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1905 | 130.2 | 31 | 4.9 | 27.2 | 42.5 | 6.0 | 8.8 | 10.1 | 11.8 | 15.8 |
| 1906 | 131.2 | 3.4 | 4.0 | 35.8 | 40.5 | 5.7 | 7.7 | 8.4 | 10.7 | 15.0 |
| 1907 | 116.5 | 3.3 | 6.2 | 14.7 | 41.0 | 5.4 | 67 | 10.6 | 13.4 | 152 |
| 1908 | 113.61 | 2.7 | 3.8 | 22.0 | 39.5 | 5.6 | 6.2 | 8.0 | 11.7 | 14.1 |
| 1909 | 108.81 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 15.9 | 40.6 | 4.6 | 5.7 | 8.2 | 11.4 | 13.6 |
The decrease in the death.rate from tubercular diseases is less easy of explanation than that
from diarrhceal diseases. The table shows that the former death.rate has conspicuously fallen in
1909. Comparison of the death-rates in past years from tubercular diseases with those from diarrhceal
diseases does not indicate parallel variations, and therefore there is no reason for thinking that climatic
conditions have determined the decline; further, there is no evidence that transference to other
headings, such as meningitis (not tubercular) and convulsions affords sufficient explanation of the
decrease in the death-rate from tubercular diseases. Even if due allowance is made for the uncertainty
which must attach to diagnosis of disease in infancy, it is difficult to find explanation of the decrease in
this circumstance.
Reference to the following table shows that the decrease of mortality from these diseases has
not been limited to infants in the first year of life, children in the second year of life largely sharing
1 These rates differ slightly from those shown on page 18, the latter being based upon figures in the RegistrarGeneral's
Annual Summary, whilst the rates shown above are based upon the totals of the births and deaths as
corrected for each borough by the respective Medical Officers of Health.