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 1861
[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 resulted from the principal epidemic diseases during the past and 5 preceding years, and the relation which they bore to the deaths from all causes.
| YEARS. | Small Pox. | Measles. | Scarlet Fever. | Diphtheria. | Whooping Cough. | Diarrhœa. | Fever. Typhus and Typhoid. | Total Deaths from Epidemics. | Total Deaths from all causes. | Per centage of deaths fromEpidemics to deaths from all causes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1856 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 12 | 43 | 314 | 13.6 |
| 1857 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 11 | 29 | 248 | 11.2 |
| 1858 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 22 | 289 | 7.6 |
| 1859 | 2 | 7 | 43 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 60 | 311 | 19.2 |
| 1860 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 22 | 308 | 7.1 |
| 1861 | 1 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 30 | 246 | 12.1 |
The mortality from the principal epidemic diseases, as shewn in
the above table, exhibits a considerable increase over that of last
year. This increase was due to scarlet fever and diarrhoea, both of
which were persistently prevalent during the whole year. Fever
also, principally in the form of typhus, was very prevalent during
the whole year, but was attended with slight fatality. Small-pox
occurred to a slight extent during the first six months; measles in
January, May, and August; and whooping-cough, to a considerable
extent during the latter nine months of the year. It is satisfactory
to find that the mortality from the above diseases although much
greater than that of the previous year, was less by a seventh part
than the average of the past five years; the more so, inasmuch as
it is just this class of diseases that comes most immediately under
the control of sanitary operations.
GENERAL SICKNESS—AMOUNT AND INTENSITY OF.
The indications of the health of the parish furnished by the
death-register are fully corroborated by the conclusions derivable
from the record of sickness and mortality amongst the poor contained
in Table V. of the Appendix. In it are shewn the total
cases of sickness which came under treatment amongst the poor,
the number of deaths, and the classes of disease which produced
them.