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
St Pancras 1894
Thirty-ninth annual report of the Medical Officer of Health on the vital and sanitary condition of the Borough of Saint Pancras, London
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increase of general density of population in all districts, of special density in
towns, and of aggregation in schools only remotely and indirectly affect
typhoid, they closely and directly affect diphtheria.
These peculiar increases led me to examine more closely the statistical
figures in relation to diphtheria, and to compare those relating to other
diseases attacking the palate, uvula, tonsils, pharynx, larynx, and trachea It
was not possible to go further back than the beginning of the last decenniun,
as previous to 1881 the Registrar-General gave no details of deaths occurring
from these diseases in London, For the sike of brevity, I have termed them
throat diseases, and in the following table the deaths from these diseases
are set out:—
(Extracted from tables of causes of deaths at different periods of life, male and female, in Registrar-General's Annual Reports.)
| Year. | Total Throat Diseases. | Diphtheria. | Total Throat Diseases other than Diphtheria. | Thrush. | Croup. | Laryngitis | Other diseases of Larynx and Trachea. | Sore Throat, Quinsy.* | Estimated population. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1881 | 1887 | 657 | 1230 | 164 | 663 | 260 | 52 | 91 | 3,824,964 |
| 1882 | 2318 | 853 | 1465 | 110 | 868 | 312 | 55 | 120 | 3,862,876 |
| 1883 | 2382 | 952 | 1430 | 134 | 824 | 283 | 46 | 143 | 3,901,161 |
| 1884 | 2295 | 951 | 1344 | 121 | 730 | 307 | 49 | 137 | 3,939,832 |
| 1835 | 2100 | 904 | 1196 | 104 | 690 | 264 | 26 | 112 | 3,978,883 |
| 1886 | 1873 | 851 | 1022 | 118 | 530 | 248 | 28 | 98 | 4,018,321 |
| 1887 | 2081 | 953 | 1128 | 80 | 626 | 259 | 46 | 117 | 4,058,150 |
| 1888 | 2279 | 1311 | 968 | 62 | 501 | 251 | 41 | 113 | 4,098,374 |
| 1889 | 2510 | 1616 | 894 | 84 | 458 | 218 | 41 | 93 | 4,138,996 |
| 1890 | 2373 | 1382 | 991 | 92 | 505 | 234 | 36 | 124 | 4,180,021 |
* This includes Tonsilitis, Pharyngitis, and (Esophagitis.)
From this table it appears that there has been a very marked fall in the
number of deaths from thrush and croup, a distinct but less marked fall in
those from laryngitis and other diseases of the larynx and trachea, and an
irregular and slight decrease under the head of sore throat, only observable
on comparing the quinquennium 1881-5 with that of 1886-90. All these
diseases, taken together, show progressive and very distinct fall in the number
of deaths attributed to them. Diphtheria, on the other hand, shows a
progressive and distinct rise ; in fact, when compared side by side, the numbers
of the two classes proceed in inverse ratio, and when the two classes are
totalled together any increase disappears. The ratios are more correct and
stand out more clearly in the death-rates per million.