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
St Martin-in-the-Fields 1893
Report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1893
This page requires JavaScript
TABLE X.
DIMINUTION or EXCESS of DEATHS in 1893, compared with the Average Annual Deaths in 1883-92.
| Cause of Death. | Diminution in 1893. | Excess in 1893. |
|---|---|---|
| Small-pox | 97 | — |
| Measles | 1,053 | — |
| Scarlet Fever | — | 449 |
| Typhus | 16 | — |
| Influenza | — | 970 |
| Whooping cough | 443 | — |
| Diphtheria | — | 1,985 |
| Simple Fever | 36 | — |
| Enteric Fever | — | 10 |
| Diarrhoeal Diseases | — | 391 |
| Cancer | — | 374 |
| Phthisis and other Tubercular Diseases | 917 | — |
| Premature Birth | — | 365 |
| Diseases of Nervous System | 498 | — |
| Diseases of Circulatory System | — | 403 |
| Diseases of Respiratory System | — | 662 |
| Diseases of Urinary System | — | 170 |
| Childbirth and Puerperal Fever | — | 173 |
| Accidents | — | 249 |
| Homicide | 17 | — |
| Suicide | — | 40 |
| All other Causes | — | 825 |
| 3,077 | 7,066 | |
| Balance of Diminution or Excess | — | 3,989 |
The net loss during the year amounted to 3,989 lives; that is to say, if the
death-rate in 1893 had not exceeded the average rate in the preceding decennium,
the deaths of 3,989 fewer persons would have been registered in London.
Among the causes of death contributing to this excess were again diphtheria,
cancer, premature birth, and diseases of the circulatory and urinary systems,
which diseases have, for several successive years, shown an increased mortality.
Besides these, in 1893 there was a considerable excess under the heads of scarlet
fever, influenza, diarrhœal and respiratory diseases; childbirth, puerperal fever,
and accident also showing increased mortality.