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 1872

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Wandsworth District, The Board of Works (Clapham, Putney, Streatham, Tooting & Wandsworth)]

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Table: The following table is inserted to show the relative numbers of deaths from the seven principal diseases of the Zymotic class in the past year compared with those of the 10 preceding ones (1862 to 1871).

The following table is inserted to show the relative numbers of deaths from the seven principal diseases of the Zymotic class in the past year compared with those of the 10 preceding ones (1862 to 1871).

Years.18621863186418651866186718681869187018711872
Small-pox.1113710701069414
Measles6241271839214230
Scarlatina1328111165142945206
Diphtheria31245370233
Whoopingcough1491015147252991825
Typhus86141116102617121011
Diarrhœa & Cholera716112017212830313138
1
Totals529563758656109117119178128

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The 14 deaths from Small Pox in 1872 is much too large
a number to afford any great amount of satisfaction, but it
nevertheless shows the more than gradual decline of this
dreaded malady when we compare this small number with
the 94 fatal cases in 1871.
Measles, it appears, is a disease that has always fluctuated
very much as to its fatality, the number of deaths
being higher in the past year than at any period since
1863, when it was even two less than is recorded in the
present table. The deaths from Whooping Cough have
slightly increased (6), and those from Diarrhoea and
Choleraic Diarrhoea have also increased (5), over the numbers
recorded in the preceding year. Diphtheria and Fever
of various types were fatal in about the same number of
cases in both years.