Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth District, The Board of Works (Clapham, Putney, Streatham, Tooting & Wandsworth)]
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WANDSWORTH. | SEX | AGE | SOCIAL POSITION | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Population in 1851, 9,611. Area in Acres, . . 2,478 | Males | Females | Total | Under 1 year | From 1 to 5 years | From 5 to 10 years | Under 20 years, including all under 10 years | At 20, and under 40 years of age | At 40, and under 60 years of age | At 60, and under 80years of age | 80 years and upwards | Nobility and Gentry | Professional Class, Merchants, Bankers, &c. | Middleand Trading Class, Shopmen, Clerks, &c. | Industrial and Labouring Classes | |
Disease* and other Causes of Death Diseases Classified. | ||||||||||||||||
Classes:— | ||||||||||||||||
I. Zymotic | Small-pox | 2 | .. | 2 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 2 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 2 | |
Measles | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 7 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 7 | |
Scarlatina | 18 | 26 | 43 | 2 | 23 | 12 | 41 | 1 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 3 | 40 | |
Diphtheria. | 1 | 2 | 3 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 2 | |
Hooping Cough | .. | 2 | 2 | 2 | .. | .. | 2 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | |
Diarrhœa | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | .. | .. | 2 | .. | .. | 1 | .. | .. | .. | .. | 3 | |
Total | 27 | 33 | 60 | 7 | 28 | 13 | 53 | 2 | 4 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 5 | 55 | |
2. Tubercular | 21 | 22 | 43 | 7 | 6 | .. | 17 | 20 | 4 | 2 | .. | 1 | .. | 5 | 37 | |
3. Of Brain, Nerves, &c | 55 | 19 | 74 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 14 | 35 | 14 | .. | 1 | .. | 10 | 63 | ||
4. Of Heart, &c | 6 | 3 | 9 | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | .. | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .. | 4 | 4 | |
5. Of Respiratory Organs | 20 | 21 | 41 | 11 | 1 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 3 | .. | .. | 7 | 34 | ||
6. Of Digestive Organs | 8 | 4 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 11 | |
7. Of Kidneys | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | .. | 5 | 1 | .. | 1 | .. | 3.. | 3 | |||
8. Of Uncertain Seat | 9 | 8 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | .. | 1 | .. | .. | 16 | |
9. Premature Birth, Low Vitality, Malforrna tion, &c | 6 | 5 | 11 | 11 | .. | .. | 11 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 10 | |
10. Age | 4 | 11 | 15 | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | .. | 7 | 8 | 1 | 5 | .. | 9 | |
11. Violence | 10 | 3 | 13 | 1 | 3 | .. | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | .. | .. | 1 | 1 | 11 | |
12. Not specified | 6 | 3 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | .. | .. | .. | 1 | 8 | |
Total | 178 | 133 | 311 | 42 | 57 | 20 | 133 | 47 | 74 | 46 | 12 | 7 | 6 | 37 | 261 |
As might be expected, from the circumstance that the County Lunatic
Asylum furnished considerably more than ⅓ of the total registered mortality,
the largest number of deaths are seen to have resulted from diseases of the
brain and nervous system. But somewhat less than 1/5 part only of these
belonged to Wandsworth, forming less than 5 per cent. of all deaths—an
amount which is below the average. The remaining 4/5 and upwards are due
to the Asylum, and lor the reasons previously assigned, are excluded from the
estimate of the causes of mortaliy proper to this parish. The most prominent
but least satisfactory feature in the table is the great mortality from diseases
of the Zymotic class which formed 19.2 per cent, or nearly 1/5 of the whole.
The Tubercular class, which includes Consumption, formed 13.8 per cent., and
Diseases of the Respiratory Organs 13.1 per cent. of all deaths. Both are
below the average. The unusual number of 13 deaths resulted from violence;
5 were of suicides, the remainder from accidental causes. In 9 instances the
cause of death was not specified, and in 12 was not certified by medical
opinion. Inquests were held in 28 cases, and in 6 the cause of death was
not determined after such inquiry. In 18 instances, then, no medical testimony of
the cause of death was adduced, and therefore so many in which death may
have resulted from other than natural causes. It. is thought not out of place