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
Paddington 1880
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington]
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last two years, and it will be seen on referring to Table IV.
that much of that mortality was due to diarrhœa.
The deaths of children under five years of age constituted
45 per cent. of the total deaths.
TABLE III.—Mortality at Different Ages.
| Sub-districts. | Under 1 year. | Under 6 years. | 65 years and upwards. | Percentage of Deaths of Infants under 1 year to Registered Births. | Percentage of Deaths of Children under 5 years of Total Deaths. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Mary's | 106 | 143 | 52 | 19.9 | 47.2 |
| St. John's | 19 | 31 | 14 | 10.4 | 37.8 |
| Paddington | 125 | 174 | 66 | 17.4 | 45.2 |
The seven principal zymotic diseases caused 88 deaths,
giving an annual rate of 3 per 1,000 of the estimated population
of the parish. In calculating this rate no cognisance is
taken of the cases of infectious disease which were removed
to hospitals outside the parish.
Diarrhœa.—In Paddington, as throughout the country,
the mortality from Diarrhœa during the quarter was excessive.
Notably a disease of the summer months it is apt to
prevail among children, more particularly amongst infants in
urban populations'—hence the names, summer diarrhœa and
infantile diarrhœa. Of the 55 fatal cases, 45 were of infants