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
Hackney 1869
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hackney]
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8
On referring to Table 3 we also meet with an explanation
of the increased death rate, in the unusual fatality of epidemic
diseases, no less than 254 per cent. of all the deaths having been
caused by them. The deaths of newly-born or very young infants
under the heading of "premature birth," or "atrophy," were
in excess of the average, 55 per 1000 having been registered
against a mean of 49. Deaths from diseases of the nervous
system and of the lungs were less than usual, whilst those from
tubercular diseases varied but little from the mean of the ten
preceding years.
| 1858 | 1859 | 1860 | 1861 | 1862 | 1863 | 1864 | 1865 | 1866 | 1867 | 1868 | 1869 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Table 4 shows that not only was scarlet fever frightfully
prevalent, but that the mortality from whooping cough was
nearly double that in 1868, and from measles almost in as
large a proportion. This is very unusual indeed, no such
coincidence having happened since my appointment; and it is
not therefore surprising that 592 deaths were registered from
epidemic diseases, against 320 in 1868. The mortality from
fever was below an average, although larger than in 1868.
In looking over the Table we must remember that the numbers
are not corrected for increase of population, so that the