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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22
Westminster—The medical officer of health mentions the notification of 227 cases of measles up
to the 1st April, 1894, when the vestry decided to abandon notification.*
Hampstead—The medical officer of health reports that measles was epidemic in Town and Kilburn
wards, being chiefly spread by the agency of schools.
Poplar—Arrangements were made for the registrars of death to give immediate notice of death
from measles to the medical officer of health in order that the premises and clothing might be disinfected.
Plumstead—A card, prepared by the medical officer of health, giving advice as to the precautionary
measures to be adopted in the event of occurrence of measles, was left at every house.
Wandsworth (Clapham)—Efforts were made to prevent the attendance at school of children
from invaded families in all cases which became known to the medical officer of health, who expresses
the opinion that the great advantage of notification of the disease would be the ability to adopt this
course universally.

Table: The measles death rate in each sanitary district in 1894 and in the period 1885-90 is shown in the following table—

The measles death rate in each sanitary district in 1894 and in the period 1885-90 is shown in the following table—

Sanitary district.Deal ha in 1894.Death rate per 1,000 living.Sanitary district.Deaths in 1894.Death rate per 1,000 living.
1894.1885-93.1894.1885-93.
Paddington66.54.41Whitechapel66.88.70
Kensington111.67.48St. George-in-the-East491.081.08
Hammersmith71.67.70
Fulham1611.45Limehouse931.64103
Chelsea70.71.59Mile-end Old-town1571.45.68
St. George, Hanover-square31.41.33Poplar2141.25.67
St. Saviour, South-wark461.73.87
Westminster35.64.57
St. James13.55.48St. George, South-wark801.34.87
Marylebone88.64.57
Hampstead31.41.23Newington103.87.69
Pancras95.41.63St. Olave191.47.69
Islington204,.62.62Bermondsey79.94.75
Stoke Newington2.06.48Rotherhithe411.02.63
Hackney186.88Lambeth181.64.53
St. Giles15.39.67Battersea151.94.52
St. Martin-in-the-Fields9.65.44Wandsworth75.42
Camberwell186.75.55
Strand16.69.63Greenwich144.83.60
Holborn23.71.70Lewisham51.51.28
Clerkenwell49.75.94Woolwich39.92.51
St. Luke14.34.99Lee11.29.45
London, City of3.09.29Plumstead21.36
Shoreditch69.56.85London3,303.761'61‡
Bethnal-green1351.04.89

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Scarlet Fever.
The cases of scarlet fever notified in London in 1894 numbered 18,495 compared with 36,953
in the previous year. The number of deaths registered from this cause in 1894 was 961, giving a
death rate of 0.22 per 1,000 living, and a case mortality of 5.2 per cent.

Table: The London rates in 1894 and previous periods are shown in the following table—

The London rates in 1894 and previous periods are shown in the following table—

Period.Death rate per 1,000 living.Case rate per 1,000 living.Case mortality per cent.
1861-70113—†-
1871-800.60—†-
1881-900.33—†-
18910.14‡2.75.1
18920.27‡6.44.3
18930.37‡8.64.3
18940.22‡4.25.2

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Diagram VII. shows the London scarlet fever death rate in each year since 1858 in relation to
the mean of the period 1859-94.
* The resolution of a Sanitary Authority requiring the notification would only have validity if subsequently confirmed by the
Local Government Board. In this matter the Local Government Board did not confirm the acticn of the Vestry,
†The Infectious Diseases (Notification) Act only came into force in 1889.
‡See footnote (†), page 7.