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
Bermondsey 1905
Report on the sanitary condition of the Borough of Bermondsey for the year 1905
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Table G.
| Year. | All Causes. | Principal Zvmotic Diseases. | Small-Pox. | Measles. | Scarlet Fever. | Diphtheria. | Whooping Cough. | Typhus Fever. | Enteric Fever. | Simple Continued Fever. | Diarrhœa. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Rate. | No. | Rate. | No. | Rate. | No. | Rate. | No. | Rate. | No. | Rate. | No. | Rate. | No. | Rate. | No. | Rate. | No. | Rate. | No. | Rate. | |
| 1895 | 2966 | 21.6 | 411 | 2.99 | 1 | .00 | 136 | .99 | 24 | .17 | 64 | .46 | 37 | .27 | – | – | 22 | .16 | – | – | 127 | 92 |
| 1896 | 2968 | 21.6 | 542 | 3.95 | – | – | 129 | .94 | 35 | .25 | 108 | .79 | 146 | 1.06 | – | – | 24 | .17 | – | – | 100 | .73 |
| 1897 | 2902 | 21.4 | 537 | 3.95 | – | – | 103 | .76 | 58 | .43 | 85 | .62 | 87 | .64 | – | – | 16 | .12 | – | – | 188 | 1.38 |
| 1898 | 2776 | 20.6 | 375 | 2.79 | – | – | 97 | .72 | 30 | .22 | 58 | .43 | 73 | .54 | – | – | 11 | .08 | – | – | 1061 | .79 |
| 1899 | 3204 | 24.1 | 440 | 3.31 | – | – | 92 | .69 | 23 | .17 | 129 | .97 | 43 | .32 | 2 | .01 | 31 | .23 | – | – | 120 | .90 |
| 1900 | 3062 | 23.2 | 437 | 3.32 | – | – | 87 | .66 | 14 | .11 | 88 | .67 | 94 | .71 | – | – | 37 | .28 | – | – | 117 | .89 |
| 1901 | 2719 | 20.8 | 387 | 2.96 | 14 | .10 | 76 | .58 | 45 | .34 | 36 | .27 | 56 | .42 | – | – | 22 | .16 | 5 | .03 | 133 | 1.0 |
| 1902 | 2756 | 21.2 | 396 | 3.06 | 31 | .24 | 154 | 1.19 | 18 | .14 | 29 | .22 | 64 | .49 | – | – | 12 | .09 | – | – | 88 | .68 |
| 1903 | 2382 | 18.4 | 251 | 1.96 | – | – | 50 | .39 | 25 | .19 | 18 | .14 | 41 | .32 | 4 | .03 | 11 | .09 | – | – | 103 | .80 |
| 1904 | 2593 | 20.1 | 447 | 3.46 | – | – | 136 | 1.05 | 18 | .14 | 17 | .13 | 68 | .53 | – | – | 16 | .13 | 3 | .02 | 189 | 1.46 |
| Average for years 1895-1904. | 2833 | 21.3 | 422 | 3.17 | 4.6 | .03 | 106 | .80 | 29 | .22 | 63 | .47 | 71 | .53 | .6 | .00 | 20 | .15 | .8 | 0.00 | 127 | .95 |
| 1905 | 2399 | 18.6 | 287 | 2.23 | 1 | .01 | 59 | .45 | 17 | .13 | 18 | .14 | 38 | .29 | – | – | 9 | .07 | – | – | 145 | 1.13 |
| London 1905 | 70442 | 15.1 | 7894 | 1.68 | 10 | .00 | 1709 | .36 | 549 | .12 | 546 | .12 | 1487 | .32 | – | – | 234 | .05 | 3 | .00 | 3356 | .72 |
There has been a great reduction in deaths from these diseases, the figures being 287
against 447 in 1904, and 422 the average for the last ten years. This gives a zymotic death
rate of 2.23.
The total deaths for notifiable diseases, viz., smallpox, scarlet fever, diphtheria and
enteric fever were 45, compared with 54 in 1904, and for the non-notifiable, viz., measles,
whooping cough, and diarrhœa, were 242, compared with 393 in 1904. The reduction is therefore
solely in these.
Smallpox.
There was one death from this cause in 1905. It was of a sailor, unknown, aged 38, who
was removed from his ship to the Seaman's Hospital, Greenwich, and from hers to the South
Wharf. He was too ill to give particulars of his name, residence, etc., and died at the latter
place.
Measles.
There were 59 deaths due to this disease, which is 47 below the average for the last ten
years, and 77 below the number for 1904.
The deaths occurred in quarters as follows, viz.:— 16, 18, 8, 17. The greatest number
occurred in the second quarter similar to 1904.
Whooping Cough.
38 deaths were due to this cause, against 68 in 1904; of these, 18 occurred in the first
quarter, 7, 8 and 10 in the other quarters respectively.
Typhus Fever.
There were no deaths from this cause in 1904.
Enteric Fever.
9 deaths were due to this cause; 7 in Bermondsey, 1 in Rotherhithe, and 1 in St. Olave's.
The corresponding figures for 1904 were 16 for the Borough, viz., 8 in Bermondsey and 8 in
St. Olave's.
Simple Continued Fever.
No deaths were attributed to this cause in 1905.
Diarrhœa.
Under this head are included: —
Epidemic enteritis.
Zymotic „
Epidemic or summer diarrhœa.
Dysentery or dysenteric diarrhœa.
Choleraic diarrhœa, cholera, cholera nostras (in absence of Asiatic cholera).
145 deaths were due to diarrhoea, viz., 90 for Bermondsey, 37 for Rotherhithe, and 18
for St. Olave's. This is a considerable improvement on last year, the number for which was
189, but it is above the ten years' average of 127, which itself is high. 11l of these deaths
occurred in the first year of life, 29 between one and two years, and sat older age periods. This
reduction cannot be altogether explained by climatic influences, since the summer was up to the
average as regards both heat and rain, and, as inspection of the annexed table shows, little, if at
all, cooler or dryer than 1904. During the severe diarrhoea months, i.e., up to the end of the
first week in September, the difference in the weekly deaths of the two years is more marked
than after this date. In 1903, on the other hand, the heat was much less and the rainfall much
more than in 1904, resulting in less diarrhoea.