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
London County Council 1894
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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20
The above tables show a marked difference in the age-incidence of the disease between the
vaccinated and unvaccinated, a difference which is still conspicuous if the " vaccinated " and " no statement
" figures are combined.
I have referred in my previous reports to the large increase in recent years in the number of
children appearing in the vaccination returns as " not finally accounted for" ; the following table shows
the proportion of children born in London stated in the returns of the Local Goverment Board as " not
finally accounted for " during several years to the year 1892:—
London Vaccination Returns.
| Children not finally accounted for (including cases postponed) per cent. of total births. | Children not finally accounted for (including cases postponed) per cent. of total births. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1881 | 5.7 | 1887 | 9.0 |
| 1882 | 6.6 | 1888 | 7.4 |
| 1883 | 6.8 | 1889 | 11.6 |
| 1884 | 6.8 | 1890 | 13.9 |
| 1885 | 7.0 | 1891 | 16.4 |
| 1886 | 7.8 | 1892 | 18.4 |
The following table gives similar information for each of the metropolitan unions for the years 1881.93, inclusive—
| Metropolitan Unions. | 1881. | 1882. | 1883. | 1884. | 1885. | 1886. | 1887. | 1883. | 1989. | 1890. | 1891. | 1892. | 1893. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethnal.green | 5.5 | 7.1 | 6.1 | 8.0 | 8.6 | 11.1 | 13.5 | 16.0 | 25.1 | 30.6 | 38.2 | 53.1 | 54.8 |
| Camberwell | 5.2 | 6.0 | 6.4 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 8.4 | 9.4 | 8.4 | 12.5 | 14.0 | 17.4 | 15.5 | 132. |
| Chelsea | 5.1 | 6.7 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 7.2 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 6.3 | 16.7 | 12.1 | 11.8 |
| Fulham | 5.4 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 5.5 | 6.0 | 6.7 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 9.5 |
| St. George, Hanover-square | 2.3 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| St. George-in-the-East | 4.2 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.7 | 4.8 | 5.3 | 6.7 | 7.9 | 6.5 | 7.9 | 8.6 | 9.4 | 10.8 |
| St. Giles and St. George | 11.6 | 9.9 | 11.4 | 11.6 | 11.1 | 12.2 | 14.1 | 17.7 | 22.5 | 17.8 | 13.6 | 18.1 | 19.3 |
| Greenwich | 6.6 | 7.8 | 10.2 | 10.4 | 11.1 | 11.4 | 9.6 | 10.1 | 11.5 | 32.3 | 19.4 | 9.8 | 7.1 |
| Hackney | 4.6 | 6.7 | 6.2 | 6.5 | 9.3 | 9.3 | 8.9 | 12.1 | 18.5 | 26.0 | 40.6 | 49.5 | 52.8 |
| Hampstead | 3.1 | 4.0 | 5.1 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 5.6 | 5.1 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 6.7 |
| Holborn | 6.2 | 7.6 | 8.5 | 9.7 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 10.3 | 11.3 | 12.4 | 12.7 | 14.2 | 14.2 |
| Islington | 8.2 | 8.0 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 9.8 | 9.5 | 9.2 | 10.8 | 12.4 | 12.8 |
| Kensington | 3.9 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 6.9 | 7.5 | 7.6 | 9.6 | 10.3 | 9.2 |
| Lambeth | 7.6 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 9.4 | 11.1 | 12.6 | 13.3 | 14.3 | 16.0 | 19.6 | 19.9 |
| Lewisham | 3.2 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.2 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 6.5 | 5.9 | 6.6 | 6.3 | 6.2 | 6.6 | 6.8 |
| City of London | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 9.2 | 10.3 | 8.8 | 9.3 | 9.3 |
| Marylebone | 5.1 | 6.8 | 5.5 | 7.3 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 8.1 | 7.7 | 13.4 | 16.9 | 24.8 |
| Mile.end Old.town | 7.5 | 8.8 | 9.8 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 9.7 | 11.3 | 14.4 | 16.6 | 26.5 | 49.9 | 58.8 | 43.5 |
| St. Olave | 4.1 | 5.9 | 10.0 | 7.3 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 17.7 | 15.0 | 15.4 | 14.8 | 15.3 | 15.8 | 16.5 |
| Paddington | 7.7 | 9.2 | 8.8 | 8.2 | 8.8 | 10.1 | 8.4 | 11.3 | 12.7 | 11.6 | 17.7 | 12.6 | 10.0 |
| St. Pancras | 6.3 | 5.7 | 4.0 | 5.2 | 6.1 | 6.9 | 8.7 | 11.5 | 13.2 | 15.1 | 15.6 | 15.7 | 15.8 |
| Poplar | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 4.9 | 5.7 | 16.9 | 15.1 | 19.5 | 19.6 | 23.6 | 23.1 |
| St. Saviour | 5.7 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 8.7 | 9.1 | 13.1 | 18.9 | 17.1 | 12.4 | 11.6 | 12.4 | 12.7 | 14.9 |
| Shoreditch | 10.3 | 12.0 | 7.6 | 6.5 | 5.6 | 6.3 | 5.6 | 3.7 | 5.5 | 9.3 | 8.8 | 10.8 | 16.2 |
| Stepney | 6.2 | 4.8 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 4.1 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 6.5 | 8.8 | 12.0 | 19.0 | 22.7 | 26.2 |
| Strand | 7.2 | 8.3 | 7.6 | 9.3 | 8.9 | 8.5 | 9.7 | 10.0 | 16.2 | 7.1 | 12.2 | 15.4 | 12.6 |
| Wandsworth and Clapham | 5.4 | 7.1 | 9.0 | 8.2 | 9.1 | 9.7 | 10.6 | 11.5 | 12.1 | 12.9 | 14.7 | 18.5 | 12.2 |
| Westminster | 4.8 | 5.7 | 6.1 | 5.7 | 6.6 | 8.5 | 8.5 | 4.1 | 12.8 | 13.2 | 17.0 | 23.0 | 28.0 |
| Whitechapel | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 5.3 |
| Woolwich | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.5 |
Measles.
The deaths from measles in London in 1894 numbered 3,303, or nearly twice the number of
deaths which occurred from that cause in 1893.
The death rates per 1,000 living in 1894 and previous periods have been as follows—
| 1851-60 | 0.53 | 1891 | 0.43* |
| 1861-70 | 0.58 | 1892 | 0.79* |
| 1871-80 | 0.51 | 1893 | 0.38* |
| 1881-90 | 0.64 | 1894 | 0.76* |
The death rate in each year since 1840, in relation to the mean of the period 1841-94,
is shown in diagram VI.
If the London death rate be compared with those of other large towns in England having more
than 200,000 inhabitants, it will be seen that London had in the period 1884-93 a higher death rate
than all these towns except Manchester, Liverpool and Salford, and in 1894 had a higher death rate
than all except West Ham.
*See footnote (†), page 7.