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
Hackney 1908
Report on the sanitary condition of the Hackney District for the year 1908
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The following shows the death rates of Hackney from all causes per 1,000, compared with London, during the last decade:—
| Year. | Hackney. | London. | Year. | Hackney. | London. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | 17.1 | 18.4 | 1904 | 16.0 | 16.6 |
| 1899 | 17.9 | 19.6 | 1905 | 15.0 | 15.1 |
| 1900 | 17.4 | 18.6 | 1906 | 14.1 | 15.1 |
| 1901 | 16.6 | 17.1 | 1907 | 14.4 | 15.35 |
| 1902 | 16.0 | 17.2 | 1908 | 13.9 | 14.5 |
| 1903 | 14.7 | 15.7 |
Infant Mortality.— The deaths of infants under one year of age
in the Borough during the year 1908 numbered 666. This is a
decline of one on the number registered during 1907. The infant
mortality rate, therefore, for the last year is 117 per 1,000 births,
practically the same as that during the year 1907. Diarrhœal
diseases caused 141 deaths; wasting diseases, including premature
births, were responsible for 203 deaths; tuberculosis diseases,
33 deaths; overlying, 26 deaths; lung diseases, 101 deaths; and the
common infectious diseases, 34 deaths. It is obvious that a large
number of these are preventable.
The infant mortality for all London for the year 1908 is 113 per
1,000 births.
The following are the infant death rates for the Borough of Hackney compared with the rates for all London during the years 1898.1908:—
| Year. | Hackney. | London. | Year. | Hackney. | London. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1898 | 161 | 152 | 1904 | 155 | 146 |
| 1899 | 153 | 166 | 1905 | 140 | 129 |
| 1900 | 158 | 158 | 1906 | 123 | 131 |
| 1901 | 135 | 148 | 1907 | 116 | 116 |
| 1902 | 121 | 132 | 1908 | 117 | 113 |
| 1903 | 127 | 131 |
The following table gives the causes of deaths of infants under
one year old:—