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
Whitechapel 1874
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Whitechapel]
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corresponding quarter of last year the rain-fall was 7.41 inches. The mean
temperature of the air was 60.5°. In the corresponding quarter of last
year the mean temperature was 56.3°. The hottest days during the
quarter were Thursday, 9th July, Monday, 20th July, and Sunday, 19th
July, when the thermometer indicated respectively 92.0°, 91.8°, 88.7°.
The hottest day during the corresponding quarter of last year was on
Friday, the 8th August, when the thermometer, in the shade, indicated
88.7°.
The Registrar General, in his report of births and deaths for the quarter
ending June 30th, 1874, says, "that the rainfall of the quarter was 4.2
inches at Greenwich, which was an inch and a half below the average for
the corresponding period in 59 years; of this amount, 1.4. inches fell in
April, only 0.4 in May, and 2.4 inches in June. In the six months ending
May, the rainfall was only 4.49 inches, and was 6.40 below the average.
This remarkably small rainfall in these six months is without precedent, the
nearest approach to it being in 1847, when the amount measured in the same
period was 7.1 inches."
The following table, taken from the returns of the Kegistrar-General shows the comparative results of the Quarter: —
LONDON.
| July 11 | July 18 | July 25 | Aug. 1 | Aug. 8 | Aug. 15 | Aug. 22 | Aug 29 | Sep 5 | Sep. 12 | Sep. 19 | SeD. 26 | Oct. 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deaths from Fever | 23 | 41 | 26 | 27 | 35 | 30 | 32 | 28 | 31 | 23 | 30 | 33 | 25 |
| Deatha from Scarlet Fever | 43 | 24 | 52 | 41 | 58 | 52 | 62 | 72 | 68 | 87 | 105 | 75 | 107 |
| Mean Tempera tare of the air | 66.8° | 65.7° | 64.4° | 61.2° | 60.6° | 58.2° | 61.9° | 59.4° | 60.3° | 56.4° | 55.4° | 60.1 | 56.8 |
| Rain-fall in inches | 1.32 | 0.00 0.20 | 1.00 | 0.12 | 1.04 | 0.00 | 0.23 | 0.66 | 0.80 | 0.00 | 0.21 | 1.1 4 | |
| Deaths in London. | 1293 | 1534 | 1040 | 1651 | 1505 | 1368 | 03 | 1234 | 1207 | 1209 | 1242 | 1137 | 1163 |
| Deaths in Whitechapel District. | 45 | 43 | 51 | 60 | 45 | 43 | 54 | 59 | 51 | 59 | 49 | 32 | 54 |
| Deaths in do. from Scarlet Fever | 4 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 3 | 6 | |
Water Supply.
In the last report of Major Bolton, addressed to the Secretary of the
Local Government Board, dated 1st October, 1874, it is stated that the East
London' Company had completed the extension of the constant system of
supply in a considerable part of their district, which is densely populated,
and retain their previously announced intention of bringing the whole district,
section by section, under constant supply.
The first water-waste-preventer erected in this district was in Pool's
Place, Spitalfields, in the spring of the year 1864.