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
Battersea 1904
Report on the health of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea for the year 1904
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The next table gives the death-rate from each of the
chief zymotic diseases compared with the mean death-rate in
the preceding decennium, and the gain or loss in each case is
also given:—
TABLE XII.
| Diseases. | Mean Death rate per 1000 1894-1903. | Death-rate per 1000 1904. | Gain in 1904. | Loss in 1904. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small-Pox | 0.01 | 0.00 | 0.01 | ... |
| Measles | 0.68 | 0.33 | 0.35 | ... |
| Erysipelas | 0.07 | 0.06 | 0.01 | ... |
| Scarlet Fever | 0.13 | 0.06 | 0.07 | ... |
| Diphtheria | 0.40 | 0.07 | 0.33 | ... |
| Enteric Fever | 0.13 | 0.06 | ... | |
| Puerperal Fever | 0.03 | 0.01 | 0.02 | ... |
| Whooping Cough | 0.47 | 0.34 | 0.13 | ... |
| Diarrhoea | 0.82 | 1.04 | ... | 0.22 |
It will be seen from the above table that in 1904 the
death-rate in every disease except diarrhoea, was well below
the mean death-rate for the preceding ten years. The reduction
is most marked in the case of measles and diphtheria, but is
also considerable in scarlet fever, enteric fever and puerperal
fever. The death-rate from the seven principal zymotic
diseases— viz., small-pox, scarlet fever, diphtheria, enteric
fever, measles, whooping cough and diarrhœa was 1.93, the
death-rate from these diseases in the County of London being
2.12.
Notifiable Infectious Disease.
Compulsory notification of certain infectious diseases came
into force in Battersea in the year 1889 by the adoption of the
Infectious Diseases (Notification) Act, 1889.