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
West Ham 1899
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1899
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251
The very large increase in the annual number of cases during
the past ten years can be seen at a glance in the following table,
where also is shown the attack rate and the annual death rate per
1,000 living. It will be observed that while the rate of attack
during the first three quarters of 1899 was 37 times as heavy as it
was in the year 1890, the death-rate during the same period was only
2'5 times as great.
Table V.
| Year. | Estimated Population. | Number of Cases of Diphtheria. | Number of Deaths from Diphtheria. | Attack-rate per 1,000. | Death-rate per 1,000. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 195,669 | 232 | 50 | 1.18 | 0.25 |
| 1891 | 204,902 | 179 | 55 | 0.87 | 0.26 |
| 1892 | 214,135 | 401 | 100 | 1.87 | 0.46 |
| 1893 | 223,368 | 470 | 104 | 2.10 | 0.46 |
| 1894 | 232,601 | 847 | 194 | 3.64 | 0.82 |
| 1895 | 241,834 | 850 | 196 | 3.51 | 0.81 |
| 1896 | 251,067 | 894 | 194 | 3.56 | 0.76 |
| 1897 | 260,300 | 675 | 99 | 2.59 | 0.37 |
| 1898 | 269,533 | 942 | 183 | 3.49 | 0.67 |
| ¾ of 1899 | 210,750 | 930 | 136 | 4.41 | 0.64 |
The distribution of the disease throughout the Borough was not
marked by any noticeable peculiarity. Since the beginning of the
year, at the desire of the Council, I have again published monthly
spot maps showing the houses attacked by scarlatina, diphtheria, and
enteric fever. These maps are not available for reproduction here,
being not only out of print but somewhat obscured by the inclusion of
other diseases. They are doubtless in possession of members, and if
compared may be seen to exhibit, as indeed is extremely common
when dealing with town populations, a distribution of disease varying