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Report of the Medical Officer of Health. 67
12 of the deaths occurred in Clapham, four in Putney, 16 in
Streatham, five in Tooting, and 20 in Wandsworth.
The death-rate was .22 per 1,000, compared with .15 in 1903,
and .38 in 1902.
Diarrhœa.
The total number of deaths from Diarrhœa and Epidemic
Enteritis was 208, a considerable increase over the previous year,
when it was only 96. It is also 43.5 above the corrected decennial
average.
33 of the deaths occurred in Clapham, 24 in Putney, 35 in
Streatham, 39 in Tooting, and 77 in Wandsworth. The increase was
general and not confined to one particular sub-district.
The death-rate was .79 per 1,000, or more than double the rate in
1903. The death-rate for the whole of London was 1.03, compared
with .64 in 1903.
The death-rate in the sub-districts was as follows:—Clapham .60,
Putney .93, Streatham .41, Tooting 1.47, and Wandsworth 1.07.
Of the total number of deaths registered 180, or 86.5 per cent.
were of infants under one year.
Including Enteritis the total number of deaths was 301, compared
with 162 in 1903 and 155 in 1902.
The total Diarrrhœa mortality per 1,000 births was 30, compared
with 36.70 for the whole of London.
The following Table shows the number of deaths from Diarrhœa
and Enteritis under one year of age for the four quarters, both for 1904
and three years previous.
It is worthy of note that the third quarter is the most fatal
quarter for both diseases, but the number of deaths from Diarrhœa is
much greater than from Enteritis. In 1902 and 1903 the number of
deaths was small, this being due, as mentioned in my reports for these
years, to the fact that the excessive rainfall in these years was most
beneficial, and this, with the low average temperature, caused a low
death-rate from all diseases of the organs of digestion.