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
Wandsworth 1860
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth District, The Board of Works (Clapham, Putney, Streatham, Tooting & Wandsworth)]
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Epidemic Diseases—Prevalence and Fatality of.
The following table exhibits the deaths which have resulted from the principal epidemic diseases during the past and four preceding years.
| YEARS. | Small-pox, | Measles. | Scarlet Fever. | Diphtheria. | Whooping Cough. | Diarrhœa. | Fever, Typhus and Typhoid. | Total. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1856 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 43 |
| 1857 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 29 |
| 1858 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 22 |
| 1859 | 2 | 7 | 43 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 60 |
| 1860 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 22 |
The mortality from this class of diseases shows a diminution to the extent
of 16 deaths below the average of the four preceding years. Small-pox,
scarlet-fever, whooping-cough, and typhus prevailed to a nearly equal, though
not very great extent, during the spring and summer quarters ; the firstnamed
disease was unattended with fatality. Measles and scarlet-fever
prevailed to a considerable extent during the autumn and winter quarters.
Typhus also prevailed to a slight extent during the same period. Diarrhœa
occurred throughout the year, but it cannot be said to have, at any time,
prevailed epidemically. The foregoing great diminution of fatality from
epidemic diseases is one of the most satisfactory features of this Report, inasmuch
as it in against this class of diseases that the efforts of the sanitarian
are directed with the greatest probability of success.
General Sickness—Amount and Intensity of.
In the absence of any means of obtaining an accurate record of the total
amount of sickness which has prevailed, that portion of the sickness with its
results which has taken place amongst the poor furnishes the best evidence
in corroboration of the facts indicated by the death-rate. By reference to
table 5 in the Appendix it is seen that the total cases of sickness which
occurred among the poor were 1241. This number is 6 per cent. less than
the average of the past 5 years. The deaths (which were only slightly more