London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
St Pancras 1892
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for St. Pancras, Metropolitan Borough]
This page requires JavaScript
14
CAUSES OF DEATH.
Zymotic Diseases.
The principal zymotic diseases —namely, small-pox, measles, scarlatina, typhus,
whooping-cough, diphtheria, continued fever, enteric fever, diarrhoea, and
dysentery—were the cause of 724 deaths compared with 522 in the previous
year, and an annual average of 634 during the previous ten years.
The number of deaths in the Sub.Districts and the proportions per 1000 of population and per 1000 of total deaths were as follows:—
| Sub.Districts. | Number. | Per 1000 Population. | Per 1C00 Total Deaths. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regent's Park | 116 | 3.1 | 148.7 |
| Tottenham Court | 68 | 2.5 | 116.2 |
| Gray's Inn Lane | 89 | 31 | 141.7 |
| Somers Town | 141 | 4.2 | 162.1 |
| Camden Town | 42 | 2.9 | 136.4 |
| Kentish Town | 268 | 2.7 | 135.0 |
| St. Pancras | 724 | 3.0 | 140.4 |
| London | 12,070 | 2.8 | 137.5 |
No deaths were registered in St. Pancras during the year from typhus and simple
continued fever, and only two deaths occurred from small-pox. The number of
deaths from diarrhoea and dysentery, and from whooping-cough, were below the
annual average of the last ten years, and from enteric or typhoid fever nearly one.
half below the average. Scarlet fever, diphtheria, and measles caused more than
the annual average number of deaths namely, scarlet fever more than one.half
more, diphtheria two.thirds more, and measles approaching to double as many.
In fact, an epidemic of measles passed over St. Pancras during the second quarter
of the year. Measles, not being a notifiable disease, the morbidity can only be
estimated from the mortality ; and, taking it at 10 per cent., the 229 deaths would
represent 2,290 cases, or as many cases of sickness as were due to all the notifiable
infectious diseases together. The deaths from notifiable infectious diseases will be
agaiu referred to in Part III. uuder the head of Notification.
Influenza.—In January, 1892, the third successive epidemioof influenza occurred
causing a marked rise in the death.rate for some weeks. But this epidemic, in
conjunction with the two preceding ones, was fully considered in the Annual
Report for 1891.