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 1861
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington, Parish of St Mary]
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articles of food and drink as are pure and untainted. The latter point
I mention specially now, because I have within the month seen
hazardous meat at 2d. per lb. exposed for sale on a Sunday morning,
and stale shell fish on Saturday nights, in certain shops in Islington.
The public should know that the authorities are able and quite willing
to protect them against such sources of disease by confiscating all such
unwholesome food as may come under their notice, and by fining the
offenders.
The following Table represents the progress of bowel complaints, with the mean weekly temperature during June of this and previous years:—
| June. | Mean Temperature. (Greenwich.) | Parish cases of Diarrhoea, &c. | Deaths from Diarrhoea and Cholera. | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1856 | 1857 | 1858 | 1859 | I860 | 1861 | 1856 | 1857 | 1858 | 1859 | 1860 | 1861 | 1856 | 1857 | 1858 | 1859 | 1860 | 1861 | |
| 1st week | 53.3° | 606° | 66.2° | 62.3° | 61.3° | 57.5° | 4 | 8 | 9 | 14 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2nd „ | 56.7° | 56-0° | 63.°8 | 61.7° | 51.9° | 53.3° | 4 | 8 | 20 | 11 | 9 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3rd „ | 59.1° | 60.3° | 67/° | 597° | 539° | 60.5° | 12 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4th „ | 55.6° | 67.3° | 61.5° | 60.0° | 56.6° | 62.9° | 11 | 25 | 28 | 12 | 4 | 21 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 5th „ | 63.4° | 62.4° | 58.6° | 63.5° | 57.1° | 60.1° | 8 | 30 | 38 | 32 | 12 | 18 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
| 57-6° | 61.3° | 64.1° | 61.4° | 54.1° | 58.8° | 39 | 83 | 107 | 77 | 41 | 73 | 4 | 9 | 15 | 6 | 2 | 5 | |
EDWARD BALLARD, M.D.,
Medical Officer of Health.
Vestry Offices,
July 5th, 1861.