London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1893
Thirty-eighth annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Parish of St. Mary, Islington
This page requires JavaScript
59
in 1893 compared with that of 1892, but an alarming increase when
compared with the return for 1891.
With the exception of small decreases in the returns from Membranous
Croup, Puerperal Fever, and Cholera, every other disease
showed an increase, more or less great.
Thus, Small Pox increased 78, Scarlet Fever 1,876, Diphtheria 154,
Enteric Fever 35, Typhus Fever 1, Erysipelas 126, and Continued
Fever 1.
In the following Table will be found the number of cases notified in each year since notification became compulsory :—
| DISEASES. | 1891. | 1892. | 1893. | Compared with 1892. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Increase. | Decrease | ||||
| l | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Small Pox | 1 | 40 | 118 | 78 | |
| Scarlet Fever | 700 | 1,703 | 2,879 | 1,876 | - |
| Diphtheria | 708 | 700 | 854 | 154 | — |
| Membranous Croup | 37 | 43 | 30 | — | 13 |
| Enteric Fever | 185 | 216 | 251 | 35 | — |
| Typhus Fever | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — |
| Erysipelas | 337 | 546 | 672 | 126 | — |
| Puerperal Fever | 36 | 51 | 38 | — | 13 |
| Continued Fever | 4 | 6 | 7 | 1 | — |
| Relapsing Fever | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | - |
| Cholera | 4 | 4 | 1 | — | 3 |
| All notifiable diseases | 2,014 | 3,309 | 4,851 | 1,542 | |
| Infectious Sickness Rates | 6.3 | 10.2 | 14.7 | 4.5 | •• |
A glance at these figures reveals the fact that Scarlet Fever was
the chief cause of the very large increase in the notified cases, and that
the other diseases which showed a marked increase were Small Pox,
Diphtheria, Enteric Fever, and Erysipelas.