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
Bethnal Green 1864
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bethnal Green, Parish of St. Matthew ]
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The Deaths for the whole of London in 1862 were 23.5
per 1000; for Bethnal Green, they were 23.8 per 1000,
that is, 1 person died of every 42 living, 1 death in 3.6
being from Zymotic Disease. In 1864, the Deaths for the
whole of London were 26.45 per 1000; and for Bethnal
Green, 27 per 1000, or 1 person died of every 37 living,
1 death in 4.2 being from Zymotic Disease. This shows
our Death rate to be above that of the average for the
whole of London.
It was not only in Bethnal Green that an excess of mortality prevailed in 1864, as the following table, issued by the Registrar General, shows:—
| Kensington | 1862—4097 | 1864—4905 | Increase—808 |
| Westminster | „ 1704 | „ 2127 | „ 423 |
| Pancras | „ 4536 | „ 5419 | „ 883 |
| Islington | „ 3496 | „ 4560 | „ 1064 |
| Hackney | „ 1753 | „ 2143 | „ 390 |
| Shoreditch | „ 3327 | „ 3620 | „ 293 |
| Whitechapel | „ 2574 | „ 2785 | „ 211 |
| Poplar | „ 2053 | „ 2791 | „ 738 |
| Lambeth | „ 3773 | „ 4241 | „ 468 |
| Greenwich | „ 3129 | „ 4032 | „ 903 |
| Lewisham | „ 1126 | „ 1418 | „ 292 |
Thus we see that other Districts suffered in a greater
degree than our own, and that a less healthy condition
existed during this period than heretofore.
The Births registered during the year 1864 were—Boys,
2308; Girls, 2189; total 4497, being one birth to every 25
persons living in 1864, against one in 26 persons living in
1862. For the whole of London, the rate was, 1864,—1 in
23, and in 1862,—1 in 29.