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
London County Council 1892
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
This page requires JavaScript
Mortality in six years.
| Year. | Influenza. | Bronchitis. | Pneumonia. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1887 | 5 | 10,326 | 4,797 |
| 1888 | 3 | 10,085 | 4,657 |
| 1889 | 5 | 8,970 | 4,061 |
| 1890 | 652 | 12,448 | 6,224 |
| 1891 | 2,336 | 13,136 | 6,915 |
| 1892 | 2,264 | 11,183 | 6,164 |
In the tables of the Registrar-General the deaths from influenza, bronchitis and pneumonia
occurring in public institutions are not distributed to the sanitary districts to which they belong, and the
tables in all the reports of the medical officers of health are not prepared on the same basis, hence it is
impossible to show accurately the relative mortality from these diseases in each of the several sanitary
districts.
In January the Council received from the Metropolitan Asylums Board a request that the
Council would make an order under section 58 of the Public Health (London) Act necessary to
empower the managers to use their ambulances for the purpose of conveying persons suffering from
epidemic influenza. The Council accordingly resolved—
" That the managers of the Metropolitan Asylum District having applied to the Council
to make an order under section 58 of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, for the purpose
of extending the provisions of section 79 (3) of the said Act to the disease of epidemic influenza,
the Council do now declare that the case is one of emergency owing to the need for special
conveyances for the carriage of patients, and do make an order accordingly; that the order do
remain in operation for a period of three months ; that such order be sealed by the Council,
and that the solicitor do take the steps prescribed by the Act for giving effect thereto."
Under this order nine patients were removed.
Phthisis.
The deaths from phthisis registered in the administrative county of London in 1892 numbered 8,053. The death rates of this disease in successive periods have been as follows—
| 1851-60 | 2.86 | 1871-80 | 2.51 | 1891 | 2.00 |
| 1861-70 | 2.84 | 1881-90 | 2.09 | 1892 | 1.88 |
Cancer.
The deaths from cancer registered in the administrative county in the year 1892 numbered 3,180. The death rates of this disease in successive periods have been as follows—
| 1851-60 | .42 | 1871-80 | .55 | 1891 | .77 |
| 1861-70 | .48 | 1881-90 | .68 | 1892 | .74 |
The increase in the death rate from cancer is not peculiar to London, but is equally noticeable
if the death rates of England be considered. The Registrar-General commenting upon this increase in
his report for the year 1889, points out that the increase is more marked among males than females, and
that while among children under 15 the rates show a decline, and at the age period 15 to 25 are stationary,
they then increase progressively with each successive advance of age. While admitting that some part of the
apparent increase is " most certainly attributable to increased accuracy in statement of cause, and to the
system introduced some years back into this office of writing for further information in cases where some
va<»ue cause, such as tumour, has been given as the cause of death," the Registrar-General adds "it
seems scarcely possible to maintain the optimistic view that the whole of the apparent increase can be
thus explained; and it must be admitted, as at any rate highly probable, that a real increase is taking
place in the frequency of these malignant affections."
Meteorology.
The tables published in the annual summary of the Registrar-General show that the mean temperature of the air in each quarter of the year was below the average of 121 years except in the spring quarter. The temperature and the fall of rain in each month were as follows—
| Temperature of the air. | Departure from average of 121 years. | Bain. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest by day. | Lowest by night. | Mean for the month. | No. of days it fell. | Amount collected. | ||
| deg. | deg. | deg. | deg. | inches. | ||
| January | 51.6 | 22.3 | 36.5 | — 0.2 | 11 | 0.38 |
| February | 53.5 | 18.8 | 38.8 | 0.0 | 19 | 1.69 |
| March | 60.5 | 22.3 | 37.3 | — 3.8 | 12 | 1.09 |
| April | 75.3 | 26.7 | 46.9 | + 0.8 | 10 | 1.42 |
| May | 85.1 | 28.7 | 55.2 | + 2.7 | 11 | 1.66 |
| June | 85.9 | 37.2 | 58.1 | — 0.1 | 14 | 2.27 |
| July | 82.4 | 47.0 | 59.6 | — 2.0 | 12 | 1.54 |
| August | 84.3 | 43.8 | 61.7 | + 0.8 | 16 | 3.03 |
| September | 74.6 | 37.2 | 56.3 | — 0.2 | 14 | 2.01 |
| October | 61.9 | 27.4 | 45.4 | — 4.1 | 22 | 3.88 |
| November | 60.9 | 31.2 | 44.9 | - 2.5 | 18 | 2.21 |
| December | 54.7 | 17.6 | 36.7 | — 2.3 | 11 | 1.13 |