London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Poplar 1893

[Report on the sanitary condition of the parishes of Poplar and Bromley within the Poplar District with vital statistics]

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occurred in Poplar from English cholera, in a female child aged two
years; other deaths took place from choleraic diarrhoea in the public
institutions in the district, but they were in non-resident patients.
The Board's tricycle used by the disinfector was of great use during
the cholera scare, as it assisted him materially in making for me
speedy enquiries of the Medical practitioners as to the rumour of any
suspicious cases.
Cholera first appeared on the Continent in April, 1892—its origin
could not be traced—at Nanterre; afterwards, it spread to Paris and
then to Rouen and Havre. The epidemic which over-ran the
greater part of Russia came from Asia, across the Caspian Sea,
making its appearance at Baku in June, 1892. Cholera then
appeared in Germany, Holland, Belgium and Austro-Hungary.
The mortality was as follows :—
Russian Empire 269,075
German Empire 8,500
France 4.542
During the winter of 1892 the epidemic dwindled. In the
beginning of the year 1893 cases were reported from many parts of
the Continent. The disease reached its minimum in May. In the
middle of the year it revived again, and every country in Europe
was affected except Norway and Sweden. It made its first appearance
in England in the Tyne towards the end of June; later on it
arrived in the Thames, the Humber and the Mersey. During
September and October cases were reported from many towns in
England: Grimsby seemed to form the centre of contagion. In
London cases were reported, but, upon bacteriological examination,
only four turned out to be Asiastic cholera, and all these four cases
proved fatal. They all occurred during the month of September,
one in each of the following districts—Fulham, Lambeth, Southwark
and Westminster; in the last named district the patient was engaged
as a sweeper in the House of Commons. As winter advanced the