London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London

Islington 1905

Fiftieth annual report on the health and sanitary condition of the Metropolitan Borough of Islington

This page requires JavaScript

Text

Copy text to clipboard

56
1905]
DIPHTHERIA.
Only once, and that was in 1904, have the deaths from Diphtheria been
so few as in 1905, when only 34 were registered as compared with an average
of 127 in the 20 years 1885-1904. There was thus a decrease of 66 deaths
in the year's return.
From 1861 to 1895 the mortality from the disease steadily increased, but
from that period to now there has been a steady fall, so that while in the
quinquennium 1891-1895, 842 deaths occurred and in the following five years
1896-1900, 678 were registered, yet from 1901 to 1905 only 343 deaths were
known.
The 34 deaths were equal to an annual death rate of 0.10 per 1000, as
compared with a rate of 0.12 in the County of London and a similar rate in
the boroughs encircling Islington.

Table: The returns from this disease since 1861, set out in quinquennial periods, have been as follows :—

The returns from this disease since 1861, set out in quinquennial periods, have been as follows :—

Deaths.Annual Average.
1861-6519439
1866-7013727
1871-7511523
1876-8016533
1881-8541883
1886-9031162
1891-95842168
1896-00678135
1904-0534369

Table: While the particulars for the last ten years are seen below:—

While the particulars for the last ten years are seen below:—

Years.Cases.Attack Rates.Deaths.DeathRates.Fatality (Deaths per 100 Cases).
1895582174144°'43247
189610913'2325707623-5
18977292*17I31°'39i8-o
18985441-62930*2 717-1
18997052-IO1280-3818-2
19006331-891060-32167
19019112721340-40r47
19028782*551040-30n-8
190345Si-34430-139'4
19043471-02280-088-i
Corrected Mean6992 041190-3517-0
1905351102340109-7
Decrease3481*02850-257"3