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
Poplar 1895
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Poplar, Bromley, South District comprising the parishes of All Saints Poplar and Bromley Saint Leonard]
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the rise in the zymotic death rate was due to diarrhoea, for the deaths
from the miasmatic diseases, as shown in Tables VI. and VII.,
pages 12 and 13, are seen to be higher in the second than in the
third quarter of the year.
There were 380 deaths of children under one year belonging to
Poplar, and 489 deaths under one year belonging to Bromley, giving
rates per 1000 births of 190 and 184 respectively. The infantile
mortality rate in 1894 was 152 for each parish. The excessive cold
and heat during the year 1895 causing respiratory disease and
diarrhoea, respectively, no doubt account for the increase in this rate.
The Table V. on page 11 gives the comparison with the other
Metropolitan areas, and I consider that Poplar and Bromley stand
well in respect to the eastern districts.
The number of deaths over 65 years was 238 belonging to Poplar,
and 207 to Bromley.
It is interesting to see how the cold weather affected the children under one year and the old people over 65 years.
| Poplar. | Bromley. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under one year. | Over 65 years. | Under one year. | Over 65 years. | |
| 1 st Quarter | 105 | 121 | 82 | |
| 2nd „ | 80 | 48 | 112 | 48 |
| 3rd „ | 121 | 41 | 170 | 33 |
| 4th „ | 82 | 44 | 86 | 44 |
| Total | 380 | 238 | 489 | 207 |
From this it will be seen that infants under one year died mostly
in the third quarter, and people over 65 in the first quarter of the
year, the causes being diarrhoea in the first instance and respiratory
diseases in the second.
Two parishioners belonging to Poplar died at the age of over one
hundred years, being 103 and 104 respectively.