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 1879
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Whitechapel]
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Table, showing the cases of Fever admitted into the Infirmary during the Quarter, and the localities from which they were received.
| Nature and description of Fever. | Localities from which the cases were received. | Date of admission into the Infirmary. | Date of admission into the Fever Hospital. | Length of time in the Infirmary before appearance of Fever. | Whether or no the cases had Fever upon admission. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enteric | 10, Fleur-de-Lis-street | Jan. 18 | Jan. 20 | Two days. | No. |
| Enteric | 9, Flower-&-Dean-street | Feb. 5 | Feb. 7 | Two days. | No. |
| Typhus | Refuge in Crispin-street | Feb. 13 | Feb. 13 | One day. | Slightly. |
| Enteric | No. 15, Well-street | Feb. 11 | Feb. 14 | Three days. | No. |
| Enteric | 187a, Brick-lane | Feb. 19 | Feb. 21 | Two days. | No. |
Three of the above cases occurred in Registered Common Lodging Houses.
Small Pox, Scarlet Peter and Fever in the Asylum Board
Hospitals.
In the Returns of the Registrar-General for the week ended January
11th, 1879, it is stated that during the year 1878, according to the weekly
returns of the Metropolitan Asylums Board, it appears that 6064 completed
cases of small-pox, scarlet-fever, enteric fever, and typhus were recorded in
the several hospitals for infectious diseases under the management of that
Board. These included 4995 recoveries and 1069 deaths; the average
mortality being equal to 17.6 per cent. of the completed cases. The number
of completed cases of small-pox was 4762, among which the mortality
was equal to 17.6 per cent. against 17.2 per cent. among the 7242 completed
cases recorded in these hospitals during 1877. In the Highgate Small-pox
Hospital the proportional mortality among the 422 completed cases recorded
last year did not exceed 14.2 per cent. This difference in the rate of mortality
in the hospitals in London requires explanation.
Again, it appears that the proportional mortality among the 316 cases
of enteric fever recorded at Homerton did not exceed 15.8, while it was
24.1 per cent among the 187 cases at Stockwell. In the London Pever
Hospital 103 completed cases of this disease were recorded, of which 14 or
13.6 per cent. were fatal. Of typhus, 203 completed cases were reported
in the Metropolitan Asylum Hospitals in 1878, and the rate of mortality
was equal to 23.2 per cent.; in 1876 and 1877 the typhus cases in these
hospitals did not exceed 145 and 141 respectively, and the mortality was
equal to 19.3 and 25.5 per cent. The recorded cases of scarlet-fever in
these hospitals, in 1878, were 596, against 824 and 419 in the two preceding
years. The mortality in 1878 averaged 15.1 per cent. in the two fever