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 1897
Report on the sanitary condition of the Hackney District for the year 1897
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8
Infant Mortality.—The deaths under one year during 1897
numbered 979, showing a decrease of 31 on the total for 1896. The
infant death-rate is therefore equivalent to 137 per 1,000 births.
This is a decline of 20 per 1,000 on the rate for the previous
year. The largest number of deaths occurred in the third quarter,
137 being due to diarrhoea. The following table gives the eleven
chief causes of death under one year in the four quarters of 1897.
Table IV.— Eleven principal causes of Infant Mortality.
| First Quarter. | Second Quarter. | Third Quarter. | Fourth Quarter. | Totals. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Measles | 1 | 5 | 9 | 17 | 32 |
| Scarlatina | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Whooping Cough | 7 | 14 | 2 | 13 | 36 |
| Teething | 4 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 11 |
| Diarrhœa | 3 | 7 | 139 | 2 | 151 |
| Convulsions | 15 | 16 | 23 | 18 | 72 |
| Lung Diseases | 34 | 19 | 15 | 74 | 142 |
| Tubercular Diseases | 11 | 13 | 21 | 10 | 55 |
| Atrophy and Debility | 34 | 24 | 44 | 29 | 131 |
| Premature Birth | 30 | 35 | 26 | 27 | 118 |
| Accidents & Violence | 6 | 6 | 3 | 11 | 26 |
| Total | 146 | 141 | 289 | 205 | 781 |
| Other Causes | 40 | 33 | 95 | 30 | 198 |
| Total | 186 | 174 | 384 | 235 | 979 |
The infantile death-rate for all London for the same period is
177 per 1,000 births.
Senile Mortality.—The deaths over 65 years of age numbered
740, being equivalent to a death-rate of 3.4 per 1000 living. Of the
total, 371 were between the ages of 65 and 75 years; 302 between
the ages of 75 and 85 years; and 67 above 85 years of age.
SPECIFIC CAUSES OF DEATH.
Class I.
Specific Febrile or Zymotic Diseases.—The deaths from
these diseases during the year numbered 912, being an increase of
81 over those of the previous year. The chief of these causes were
diphtheria, diarrhoea, measles, whooping cough, and scarlet fever.
The death rate for Hackney is 4.2 per 1000, that for all London
being 2.5 per 1000.