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
Report upon the cause of the increae of mortality from diphtheria in London
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Saint Pancras.
HEALTH DEPARTMENT.
Vestry Hall, Pancras Road, N.W.
May, 1894.
To the Members of the Health Committee.
Gentlemen,
In accordance with the instructions of your Committee I beg to present
herewith a report upon the probable causes of the increase of diphtheria.
Comparing scarlet fever, diphtheria, and enteric fever in the three previous
decennia, the following are the results as recorded in Tables 18 & 19 of the
Registrar General's last Annual Report.
| Decennial Periods. | England and Wales. | London. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scarlet Fever. | Diphtheria. | Enteric Fever. | Scarlet Fever. | Diphtheria. | Enteric Fever. | |
| 1861-70 | 971 | 187 | (886)* | 1133 | 179 | (904)* |
| 1871-80 | 719 | 121 | 326 | 600 | 122 | 244 |
| 1881-90 | 338 | 163 | 198 | 335 | 259 | 189 |
* Includes also Typhus and Simple Continued Fever.
It will be observed that the scarlet fever mortality per million for London
fell from 1133 in the first to 600 in the second decennium, and in the 47th
report (1834) of the Registrar General, it is suggested that the greater fall in