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
Tottenham 1913
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Tottenham District]
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38
The attack rate per 1,000 of the population in the
administrative County of Middlesex for Scarlet Fever in 1913
was 3.28, and for Diphtheria 1.43. Tottenham compared
unfavourably with the County, its rates being 4.21 and
1.92 respectively.
In point of population, Tottenham may be compared
with Willesden, and the attack rates for Scarlet Fever and
Diphtheria in the latter district (with a slightly larger number
of inhabitants) were 3.24 and 1.49 respectively.
In the neighbouring parish of Edmonton, where the
population is rather less than half, the rates for these two
infectious diseases were 6.82 and 1.86 respectively.
The following list shows the attack rates for Scarlet Fever and Diphtheria in those towns whose populations most closely approximate to that of Tottenham.
| Town. | Population. | Scarlet Fever. Attack Rate. | Diphtheria. Attack Rate. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunderland | 151,832 | 5.14 | 1.20 |
| Oldham | 148,839 | 6.30 | 0.62 |
| East Ham | 138,450 | 3.86 | 1.87 |
| Blackburn | 133,560 | 201 | 0.60 |
| Birkenhead | 133,427 | 4.08 | 1.07 |
| Brighton | 132,265 | 5.30 | 1.20 |
An epidemic of Scarlet Fever of a mild type began in
the first week of September and continued into the first
quarter of 1914. During the last three weeks in October
and the first week in November respectively, the numbers of
notifications received were 34, 35, 24 and 27. There
appears to have been a general decline since then, although