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
Bethnal Green 1902
Report on the sanitary condition and vital statistics of the Metropolitan Borough of Bethnal Green during the year 1902
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119 in 1901, to 60 in 1902 ; the cool summer and plenteous rainfall
undoubtedly conduced to the washing away of effete matter before it
had time to decompose. This probably accounts for the diminution
in the number of diarrhœa deaths.
The death rate from the seven principal Zymotic diseases is 2.6,
against 2 8 in 1901, whilst the corresponding Metropolitan rates are
2.2 for each year.
Table " F" shews the percentage of deaths from each disease, as
compared with the total number of Zymotic deaths.
TABLE F.
| Small Pox caused 64 deaths. | caused 64 deaths. | 18˙8 per cent., or 1 in 5˙2 deaths. |
| Measles | „ 59 „ | 17˙4 „ „ 5.7 „ |
| Scarlatina | „ 19 „ | 5˙6 „ „ 17.8 „ |
| Diphtheria | „ 33 „ | 9˙7 „ „ 10˙3 „ |
| Whooping Cough | „ 89 „ | 26˙2 „ „ 3˙8 „ |
| Enteric Fever | „ 15 „ | 4˙4 „ „ 22˙6 „ |
| Diarrhœa | „ 60 „ | 17˙7 „ „ 5.6 „ |
NOTIFICATION OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES.
The total number of notification certificates received during the
year was 2,873 ; of these 226 were duplicates, a proportion of eight
per cent, on the whole number. Forty-five certificates were forwarded
to the medical officers of other boroughs, as the residences
of the patients to which they referred were outside Bethnal Green.
Six certificates were withdrawn by the senders as the result of
revised diagnoses. The certificates relate to a total of 2,596 persons;
Table 111. in the appendix indicates the disease from which each
of them suffered. It also shows the sub-districts in which they
resided, and the number, 1,369, of those removed to hospital. The