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
St James's 1870
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St James's, Westminster]
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38
best chance of exercising his influence for the benefit
of the community. I now present a table of the
various forms of Zymotic Disease that have prevailed
in the parish during 16 years:
T able of D eaths in D istricts and Q uarters in 1870.
| First Quarter. | Second Quarter. | Third Quarter. | Fourth Quarter, | Population. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. James's Sq. Div. | 42 | 45 | 22 | 43 | 10,453 |
| Golden Square Div. | 59 | 65 | 73 | 64 | 12,855 |
| Berwick Street Div. | 48 | 77 | 64 | 75 | 10,279 |
| Workhouse | 53 | 54 | 28 | 42 | |
| 202 | 241 | 187 | 224 | 33,587 |
From this table it will be seen that there were
more deaths from Zymotic Diseases in 1870 than in
any previous year for 16 years. Having regard to
the diseases prevailing it will be found that the
mortality is specially produced by two diseases,
Scarlet Fever and Diarrhoea.
Scarlet Fever.
Seventy-six persons died of this disease in the
parish during the year 1870, thus one person in
every eleven who died in the parish died of Scarlet
Fever. This disease is one of the most contagious
known. Articles of clothing which have been kept
in drawers for upwards of two years have been
known to communicate the disease. Letters written
in the room where persons lay ill have been known