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
Shoreditch 1909
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Shoreditch]
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whilst of the remainder measles, diarrhoea and whooping cough in the order
given were responsible for the greater number. The death rate from these
infectious diseases was 5.9 per 1,000 inhabitants as compared with 5.4 in 1908,
6.5 in 1907, 0.7 in 1906, 6.2 in 1905, 6.8 in 1904, and 6.5 in 1903. Although
higher than for the previous year, it was considerably below the average.
In the subjoined table the deaths from the infectious diseases referred to above have been grouped according to age:—
| Age period. | Under 1 | 5-10 | 10-15 | 15-20 | 20-25 | 25-35 | 35-45 | 45-55 | 55-65 | 65-75 | 75-85 | 85 and upwards | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. of deaths | 167 | 207 | 33 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 52 | 57 | 54 | 31 | 19 | 7 |
It will be noticed that more than half of these deaths during the year were of
children under the age of live years. Taking the total number of deaths of
children under five years of age from all causes, 43 per cent, resulted from the
infectious diseases referred to as compared with 40 per cent, in 1908, and 42
per cent, in 1907. In infants under one year, diarrhoea, measles, whooping
cough, and tuberculosis were the most fatal. Amongst children aged from
one to five years, measles, tuberculosis, and whooping cough claimed most
victims. The chief cause of the mortality from these diseases amongst persons
aged from twenty to sixty-five years was consumption.
The deaths from the principal zymotic diseases, namely, smallpox,
measles, scarlet fever, diphtheria including membranous croup, whooping
cough, enteric fever and diarrhoea numbered 314, the death-rate due to them,
which is termed the zymotic death-rate, being 2.7 per 1,000 inhabitants, as compared
with 1.9 in 1908, 2.9 in 1907, 3.1 in 1906, 2.8 in 1905, 3.2 in 1904, 2.8 in
1903, 3.6 in 1902, 2.9 in 1901, 3.1 in 1900, 3.6 in 1899, 4.1 in 1898, 4.2 in 1897,
4.3 in 1896, 3.8 in 1895, 2.8 in 1894 and 4.7 in 1893. The zymotic death-rate
therefore although higher than that of 1908 was nevertheless considerably
below the average. A comparison of the zymotic death rates of London and
Shoreditch and the eight wards of the Borough is given in table VII. (Appendix).
The rate was highest in Whitmore and lowest in Moorfields Ward, being 4.1 per
1,000 in the former and 0.5 in the latter. In connection with this it should be
noted that the density of the population per acre in Whitmore Ward is more
than three times as great as that in Moorfields.