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
Chelsea 1910
Annual report for 1910 of the Medical Officer of Health
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Table V.—Zymotic Disease Mortality in Chelsea in 1910.
| Actual number of deaths in Chelsea. | Chelsea's proportion of total London deaths according to its population. | Average number of deaths annually in Chelsea, 1900-1909. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Measles | 19 | 31 | 28 |
| Scarlet Fever | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Diphtheria | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| Whooping Cough | 12 | 21 | 20 |
| Enteric Fever | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Diarrhœa | 28 | 35 | 55 |
Diarrhœa.—The deaths in Chelsea in 1910 from diarrhœal diseases
(diarrhoea 13, enteritis 15) were 28 in number, as compared with 30 in
1909. Nineteen of the deaths were of infants under one year of age,
seven were between one and five years of age, and two were adults.
Thirteen of the deaths were of North Chelsea residents, and 15 of South
Chelsea. The summer prevalence of the disease was very late in
commencing, no deaths being registered until the fourth week of August.
The prevalence was very slight, only 11 deaths occurring in the whole of
the third quarter of the year.
Table VI.—Mortality from Diarrhœal Diseases.
| Year. | Chelsea. | London. |
|---|---|---|
| Death-rate per million. | Death-rate per million. | |
| 1896 | 1037 | 1112 |
| 1897 | 1340 | 1446 |
| 1898 | 1258 | 1556 |
| 1899 | 1282 | 1663 |
| 1900 | 1187 | 1251 |
| 1901 | 788 | 1184 |
| 1902 | 692 | 737 |
| 1903 | 541 | 837 |
| 1904 | 864 | 1267 |
| 1905 | 620 | 948 |
| 1906 | 1115 | 1275 |
| 1907 | 509 | 544 |
| 1908 | 656 | 796 |
| 1909 | 400 | 552 |
| 1910 | 371 | 467 |
The diarrhoea death-rate in Chelsea in 1910 is the lowest yet
recorded. The same remark is probably true of the London diarrhœa
death-rate in 1910. How far these very favourable results are due to
cold and wet summers, and how far they are attributable to the efforts—
municipal and philanthropic—now being made with a view to the
conservation of infant life, it is impossible as yet to determine.
Influenza.—The number of deaths attributed to influenza in 1910
was 13, as against 25 in 1909. Five deaths occurred in North Chelsea,
and eight in South Chelsea. Seven of the fatal cases were of persons