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
Paddington 1903
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Paddington, Metropolitan Borough of]
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2
meteorology.
METEOROLOGY.
The appended table (Table 2) gives the results of observations taken at the Royal
Botanical Gardens, which represent the local meteorological conditions better than do those
taken at the Greenwich Observatory.
The characteristic features of the year were the excessive rainfall and the low temperatures,
peculiarities which, while not appreciated by the general public, undoubtedly
tended to an improvement in public health.
TABLE 2. Meteorological Elements.
| Month. | Means at 9 a.m. | Extreme Temperatures. | Rain. | Sunshine. | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barometer reduced to sea level | Thermometer. | Shade. | Max in Sun. | Min. on Grass. | Depth of Inches. | No. of Days. | Number of Hours. | Number of Days | |||||||
| Dry Bulb. | Wet Bulb. | Maximum. | Minimum. | ||||||||||||
| 1903* | 1903. | Inches. | Deg. | Deg. | Deg. | Dates. | Deg. | Dates. | Deg. | Deg. | h. | m. | |||
| Jan. | 29.99 | 40.7 | 38.9 | 53.2 | 2nd | 26.0 | 15th | 70.5 | 19.0 | 2.14 | 16 | 24 | 56 | 13 | |
| Feb. | 30.13 | 44.5 | 42.2 | 58.0 | 20th | 28.0 | 17th | 83.0 | 17.0 | 0.92 | 11 | 54 | 23 | 16 | |
| March | 29.84 | 46.0 | 43.0 | 67.0 | 26th | 30.5 | 10th | 98.0 | 25.0 | 2.70 | 17 | 89 | 14 | 26 | |
| April | 29.89 | 44.7 | 40.9 | 59.2 | 29th | 29.0 | 16th & 17 th | } 105.0 | 20.0 | 2.28 | 13 | 115 | 09 | 25 | |
| May | 29.87 | 54.8 | 50.0 | 78.2 | 31st | 37.5 | 12th | 121.0 | 31.0 | 2.36 | 15 | 164 | 15 | 29 | |
| June | 30.02 | 57.9 | 53.1 | 83.0 | 27 th | 37.5 | 21st | 128.0 | 36.5 | 620 | 11 | 175 | 36 | 23 | |
| July | 29.94 | 63.0 | 57.3 | 86.0 | 10th | 45.0 | 7 th | 125.5 | 35.0 | 5.40 | 11 | 185 | 58 | 29 | |
| August | 29.87 | 60.8 | 56.2 | 77.0 | 8th | 46.2 | 25th | 121.5 | 42.0 | 4.27 | 16 | 186 | 12 | 31 | |
| Sept. | 30.03 | 58.5 | 55.3 | 82.0 | 2nd | 40.0 | 11th | 119.0 | 34.5 | 2.98 | 13 | 133 | 42 | 26 | |
| Oct. | 29.60 | 53.0 | 50.5 | 65.2 | 1st | 37.5 | 23rd | 105.0 | 31.0 | 6.16 | 25 | 68 | 03 | 23 | |
| Nov. | 30.06 | 44.7 | 42.6 | 55.0 | 1st & 1 10th | | 30.5 | 19 th & 30th | 83.0 | 27.0 | 1.90 | 12 | 35 | 53 | 18 | |
| Dec. | 29.79 | 39.3 | 37.6 | 51.0 | 9th | 27.0 | 31st | 65.0 | 20.0 | 1.38 | 11 | 7 | 39 | 6 | |
| Totals | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 38.67 | 171 | 1,241 | 00 | 265 | |
| 1902. | Means | 29.92 | 50.6 | 47.3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Highest | — | — | — | 86.0 | July | — | — | 128.0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Lowest | — | — | — | — | — | 26-0 | Jan. | — | 19.0 | — | — | — | — | ||
| Totals | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 19.75 | 159 | 1,017 | 05 | 251 | |
| Means | 29.98 | 49.4 | 461 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Highest | — | — | — | 84.5 | July | — | — | 124.0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Lowest | — | — | — | — | — | 20.0 | Feb. | — | 9.0 | — | — | _ | — | ||
* This part of the table appeared in The Times of 2nd January last.
According to Mr. H. R. Mill (Times, Jan. 11th, 1904), 38T0 in. of rain fell at Camden
Square, being 12.04 in. (51 per cent.) in excess of the annual average for 30 years. Mr. Mill
estimates that the fall for the whole of London amounted to 37 in., or 50 per cent, more than
the average. In February (usually a wet month) the fall was only one-half the average for