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 1957
Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health for the year 1957
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ZYMOTIC DISEASES
An examination of statistics provided by the Registrar-General for the
year 1957 showed that four deaths were attributable to "Gastritis, enteritis
and diarrhoea", and one was from Measles, representing a death rate of 0.09
per 1,000 of the population.
Currently, the term "Zymotic" is indicative of such diseases as cholera,
diarrhoea, diphtheria, measles, scarlet fever, smallpox, typhoid fever and
typhus fever, but at one time it was applied to a considerable number of
diseases which were considered to be "epidemic, endemic, and contagious".
Mortality from the causes outlined above has declined to a remarkable extent since the beginning of the century as will be seen from the following summary:-
| Year | Number of deaths |
|---|---|
| 1900 | 219 |
| 1905 | 98 |
| 1910 | 66 |
| 1915 | 76 |
| 1920 | 41 |
| 1925 | 29 |
| 1930 | 22 |
| 1935 | 17 |
| 1940 | 1 |
| 1945 | 6 |
| 1950 | 3 |
| 1955 | 6 |
| 1956 | - |
| 1957 | 5 |