London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1895
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Parish of St. Mary ]
This page requires JavaScript
17
low night temperature was 51.3°, or 2.3° above the average. The mean
daily temperature of the air was above its average from the 1st to the nth,
below from the 12th to the 21st, and above from the 22nd to the 30th,
being particularly so from the 12th to the 21st, when it was 12.9° above
the average. The mean temperature to the 30th September was 10.4 in
excess of the average.
From these facts it will be seen that the weather was most favourable to the propagation of Diarrhoea.
| Weeks ending | Deaths. | Air Temperatures. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest. | Lowest. | Mean. | ||
| Deg. | Deg. | Deg. | ||
| July 6 | 18 | 71.8 | 53.8 | 61.8 |
| ,, 13 | 21 | 78.7 | 53.7 | 65.6 |
| „ 20 | 19 | 73.3 | 54.0 | 62.8 |
| „ 27 | 19 | 71.7 | 55.9 | 62.6 |
| Aug. 3 | 23 | 67.2 | 53.1 | 59.0 |
| „ 10 | 7 | 71.3 | 52.7 | 60.3 |
| „ 17 | 6 | 71.4 | 53.9 | 61.7 |
| „ 24 | 5 | 78.4 | 55.9 | 66.2 |
| „ 31 | 6 | 53.3 | 61.8 | |
| Sept. 7 | 5 | 53.7 | 65.1 | |
| „ 14 | 6 | 71.8 | 51.4 | 60.7 |
| " 21 | 1 | 68.8 | 46.8 | 56.9 |
| „ 28 | 4 | 81.8 | 52.4 | 65.6 |
As I have already stated, the high temperature towards the end of
June quickly accelerated the deaths from Diarrhoea, so that the 1, 5 and
9 deaths which had occurred in the last three weeks of that month, rose
to 18 and 21 in the first two weeks of July. In the week ending July
13th, the mean of the high day temperatures was 78.7°, while the mean
temperature was 65.6°. The natural result was that the deaths increased
to 23, the highest number registered in seven days, in the week ending
August 3rd.
It is noteworthy, that in London, as a whole, as well as in the
neighbouring towns of West Ham and Croydon, the highest point of
the Diarrhoea curve was reached in the fourth week, ending July 27th, of
the quarter, whereas in Islington it was not reached until the fifth.