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LEW 63
REPORT
TO
The Board of Works for the Lewisham district
TO THE END OF THE YEAR 1896,
BY
Dr. S. BLAKE JOLLY,
Medical Officer of Health for the District.
Gentlemen,
The number of deaths registered as having occurred in
the Lewisham District during the year 1896 was 1412. Of
these 52 were of persons who did not belong to this District,
while, on the other hand, 128 persons belonging to the District
died in hospitals and asylums outside, making the actual
total of deaths 1482, as against 1496 in the previous year,
and the corrected death rate for 1896 13.75 per 1000, as
compared with 14.44 per 1000 in 1895.
During the year 1896 there has been a general epidemic
of zymotic disease over the whole of London, as may readily
be seen from the fact that during 1896 49,705 notifications
of zymotic disease were received, of which number 13,808
were notifications of diphtheria; 25,647 of scarlet fever;
and 3,190 of enteric fever There were 2,663 deaths from
diphtheria; 940 deaths from scarlet fever; and 564 deaths
from enteric fever. These figures, while showing the immense
number of cases of both diphtheria and scarlet fever
in London during 1896, also clearly show the difference in
the mortality from the two diseases. The Lewisham District,
as was inevitable, shared, to some extent, in the general
epidemic, while the zymotic death rate of this District, of
2.6 per 1000, compares very favourably with 3.1 per 1000—
the zymotic death rate for London.
There were 360 notifications of diphtheria, with 82
deaths, as compared with 135 notifications and 17 deaths in
1895, and 172 notifications, with 35 deaths, in 1895. All
cases were removed at once to Hospitals when possible, 114
in all; but, owing to the great number of cases occurring in
London, in many instances it was impossible to get the cases
moved, owing to the Asylums Board's Hospitals being full.