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
Holborn 1902
Report for the year 1902 of the Medical Officer of Health
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Deaths from Small-pox in the Metropolitan Cities and Boroughs during 1901 and 1902 and Death-rates for each year, after Distribution of Deaths in Public Institutions. The figures for each quarter have been taken from the Quarterly Reports of the Registrar-General.
| 1901. | 1902. | 1901. | 1902. | Outbreak 1901-02. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quarters. | Quarters. | Year. | Rate. * | Year. | Rate* | Total Deaths, | Total Rate. | ||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||||||||
| WEST— | |||||||||||||||
| Paddington | — | — | — | — | 9 | 11 | — | — | — | — | 20 | 0.13 | 20 | 0.13 | |
| Kensington | — | — | — | 1 | 6 | 5 | — | — | 1 | 0.11 | 11 | 0.06 | 12 | 0.07 | |
| Hammersmith | — | — | 2 | 13 | 8 | — | 5 | — | 15 | 0.13 | 13 | 0.11 | 28 | 0.24 | |
| Fnlham | — | — | — | 3 | 8 | 4 | 1 | — | 3 | 0.02 | 13 | 0.09 | 16 | 0.11 | |
| Chelsea | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | — | 1 | 0.01 | 7 | 0.09 | 8 | 0.10 | |
| Westminster | — | — | 1 | 15 | 33 | 6 | — | — | 16 | 0.09 | 39 | 0.21 | 55 | 0.30 | |
| NORTH— | |||||||||||||||
| St. Marylebone | — | 1 | 4 | 2 | 17 | 7 | — | — | 7 | 0.05 | 24 | 0.18 | 31 | 0.23 | |
| Hampstead | — | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | 2 | 0.02 | 3 | 0.03 | 5 | 0.05 | |
| St. Pancras | — | — | 20 | 21 | 41 | 31 | 9 | — | 41 | 0.17 | 81 | 0.34 | 122 | 0.51 | |
| Islington | — | — | 2 | 17 | 30 | 7 | — | 8 | 0.02 | 54 | 0.16 | 62 | 0.18 | ||
| Stoke Newington | — | — | 1 | 2 | 5 | 3 | — | — | 3 | 0.06 | 8 | 0.15 | 11 | 0.21 | |
| Hackney | — | — | 1 | 4 | 25 | 44 | 1 | — | 5 | 0.02 | 70 | 0.31 | 75 | 0.33 | |
| CENTRAL— | |||||||||||||||
| Holborn | — | — | 1 | 29 | 43 | 3 | — | — | 30 | 0.51 | 46 | 0.78 | 76 | 1.29 | |
| Finsburv | — | — | — | 7 | 26 | 1 | 9 | — | 7 | 0.07 | 36 | 0.35 | 43 | 0.12 | |
| City of London | — | — | — | 2 | 3 | 4 | — | — | 2 | 0.08 | 7 | 0.27 | 9 | 0.35 | |
| EAST— | |||||||||||||||
| Shoreditch | — | — | — | 5 | 61 | 14 | 1 | — | 5 | 0.04 | 76 | 0.64 | 81 | 0.68 | |
| Betbnal Green | — | 1 | — | 1 | 33 | 27 | 4 | — | 2 | 0.02 | 64 | 0.49 | 66 | 0.51 | |
| Stepney | — | — | — | 22 | 172 | 77 | 11 | — | 22 | 0.07 | 260 | 0.86 | 282 | 0.93 | |
| Poplar | — | — | — | 10 | 50 | 40 | 3 | — | 10 | 0.06 | 93 | 0.54 | 103 | 0.60 | |
| SOUTH— | |||||||||||||||
| Southwark | — | — | 1 | 13 | 39 | 36 | 3 | — | 14 | 0.07 | 78 | 0.37 | 92 | 0.44 | |
| Bermondsey | — | — | — | 14 | 7 | 22 | 2 | — | 14 | 0.11 | 31 | 0.23 | 45 | 0.34 | |
| Lambeth | — | — | 1 | 3 | 35 | 23 | 2 | — | 4 | 0.01 | 60 | 0.19 | 64 | 0.20 | |
| Batt ersea | — | — | — | 2 | 14 | 11 | 2 | — | 2 | 0.01 | 27 | 0.15 | 29 | 0.16 | |
| Wandsworth | — | — | — | 3 | 16 | 7 | 2 | — | 3 | 0.01 | 25 | 0.10 | 28 | 0.11 | |
| Camberwel | — | — | — | 7 | 17 | 42 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0.03 | 63 | 0.23 | 70 | 0.26 | |
| Deptford | — | — | — | 1 | 18 | 15 | — | — | 0.01 | 33 | 0.29 | 34 | 0.30 | ||
| Greenwich | — | — | — | 3 | 9 | 12 | 1 | — | 3 | 0.03 | 22 | 0.22 | 25 | 0.25 | |
| Lewisham | — | — | — | — | 5 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | 12 | 0.09 | 12 | 0.09 | |
| Woolwich | — | — | — | 14 | 22 | 2 | — | 1 | 0.01 | 38 | 0.31 | 39 | 0.32 | ||
| London Deaths | — | 2 | 35 | 192 | 734 | 506 | 73 | 1 | 229 | 0.05 | 1314 | 0.28 | 1543 | ||
| 0.33 | |||||||||||||||
| Do. Death Rates*. | — | 0.00 | 0.03 | 0.17 | 0.64 | 0.44 | 0.06 | 0.00 | 0.05 | — | 0.28 | — | — | — | |
| * Annual rates per 1,000 of estimated population. | |||||||||||||||
It is thus seen that the maximum death-rate during the outbreak was 1.29 in Holborn
and the least 0.05 in Hampstead. The maximum number of deaths was 282 in Stepney, and
the least, 5, in Hampstead.
The first notification was received on the 4th June. I visited the case with the Doctor,
and was of the opinion that it was a severe case of Chicken-pox. As another Doctor also considered
it was Small-pox, I advised that a Consultant should be called in. He also thought it
was Small-pox, and the patient was removed to the South Wharf at Rotherhithe, but returned
the same day certified not to be suffering from Small-pox The patient's brother, a, medical
student who visited him during his illness, also contracted Chicken-pox.
The first case of Small-pox was C. S., male, 50 years of age, a rent collector, of 21, Portpool
Lane, a registered tenement house. He probably contracted the disease at a working man's
club near the Holborn Town Hall.
He was taken ill on the 9th August, the rash appeared on the 11th, notified on the l3th,
and removed to hospital the same evening.
The rooms and their contents were thoroughly disinfected, the patient's wife and family