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
Islington 1860
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Parish of St Mary]
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The small amount of general sickness prevalent during the month has been
matter of universal remark among medical men. The total number of cases
returned to me has been 1597 against 1780 in July and 2141 in June. Taking the
returns of the Parochial Medical Officers alone, I find a total for the month of
only 586 new cases of sickness, the mean of the previous four years being
918. There has been a slight increase in bowel complaints, but from all the
returns only 120 cases could be counted up against 397 last year (exclusive of
the Islington Dispensary).
| August. | Mean Temperature. (Greenwich.) | Parish cases of Diarrhœa, &c. | Deaths from Diarrhœa and Cholera. | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1856 | 1857 | 1858 | 1859 | 1860 | 1856 | 1857 | 1858 | 1859 | 1860 | 1856 | 1857 | 1858 | 1859 | 1860 | |
| 1st week.. | 67.6° | 65.2° | 62.4° | 63.8° | 58.2° | 40 | 69 | 29 | 95 | 15 | 6 | 10 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2nd „ | 66.1° | 63.7° | 65.4° | 63.9° | 66.30 | 102 | 74 | 26 | 60 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 7 |
| 3rd „ | 66.9° | 65.1° | 63.3° | 63.9° | 57.8° | 101 | 83 | 46 | 64 | 24 | 14 | 5 | 12 | 6 | 9 |
| 4th „ | 57.8° | 66.9° | 59.2° | 66.6° | 57.5° | 81 | 99 | 36 | 65 | 16 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 64.6° | 65.2° | 62.5° | 64.5° | 57.4° | 324 | 325 | 137 | 284 | 69 | 45 | 31 | 23 | 25 | 26 | |
It cannot fail to be remarked, how little relation there is between the reduction
of the number of cases of bowel complaint treated this year and the
reduction of the deaths from these complaints as compared with former years.
EDWARD BALLARD, M.D.,
Medical Officer of Health.
Vestry Offices,
September 4th, 1860.