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
Lambeth 1898
Report on the vital and sanitary statistics of the Parish of Lambeth during the year 1898
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The following statistics for Lambeth show that the increase in Diphtheria is persistent:—
| Quinquennial Period. | Population. | Number of Deaths. | Death-Rate per million living. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1863—1867 | 902119 | 148 | 164 |
| 1868—1872 | 1021165 | 96 | 94 |
| 1873—1877 | 1132106 | 184 | 163 |
| 1878—1882 | 1245913 | 255 | 205 |
| 1883—1887 | 1313211 | 365 | 278 |
| 1888—1892 | 1367734 | 537 | 393 |
| 1893—1897 | 1443857 | 683 | 483 |
| 1898 | 304073 | 108 | 355 |
The increase in London, generally, has also been
marked during the same quinquennia, but a satisfactory
and complete explanation for the increase remains yet to
be given. The large numbers of cases to be isolated, in
London, have, at times, baffled the officials of the Asylums
Board Hospitals, and rendered it necessary to refuse
removal except in the very worst and most urgent cases,
with the result that many cases have had to be treated at
home.
1 he beneficial effect of the antitoxin treatment in Hospital
is beginning to be felt, as shewn by the lessened death
rate, or case mortality in Hospital-treated patients ; whilst
those Experts who are best able to form an opinion, speak
in decided terms as to the value of the antitoxic serum as a
prophyllactic, or preventative—a most important conclusion
to have come to.