London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

View report page

London County Council 1894

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]

This page requires JavaScript

40
choleraic diarrhoea had occurred on board during the stay of the vessel at St. Petersburg, the facts
were reported to the Secretary of Her Majesty's Customs, who replied to the effect that on the vessel's
return the master would be called upon to show cause why he should not be prosecuted for making a
false statement under the Quarantine Act.
On the 29th August the s.s. "Cyrus" arrived from Calcutta, having had two cases of cholera on
the voyage, both terminating fatally. The two patients had been in the habit of bathing daily in a
sewage-polluted dock, though repeatedly warned of the danger. The ship came through the canal,
having received pratique. No action was necessary on her arrival.
On the 23rd the s.s. "Risca" arrived, having had a suspicious case of diarrhoea on voyage.
Convalescent at time of inspection.
Our experience thus for the sis months has been an exceedingly fortunate one. Only six cases of
undoubted Asiatic cholera have actually arrived at Gravesend and been removed to the port hospital,
while five vessels on entry have been "infected" within the meaning of the Cholera Regulations.
Obviously, so far as the necessary precautions of disinfecting the vessel, bedding and clothing, cleaning
bilges, emptying drinking water, and careful medical inspection of every person on board, it is not
practical nor safe to attempt any distinction between cholera and choleraic diarrhoea.
With a view of preventing, if possible, mild cases of cholera or choleraic diarrhoea passing
unnoticed as simple diarrhoea, the Local Government Board issued an order applying the provisions
of section 56 of Public Health (London) Act, 1891, to diarrhoea in addition to those diseases therein
specifically mentioned, such order to have effect from the 4th August until the 30th September.
Erysipelas.
The deaths attributed to erysipelas in the registration county of London in 1894 numbered
221, the corrected annual average of the preceding ten years being 307.5.

The number of cases notified and the number of deaths registered during the last four years have been as follows—

Cases.Case rate per 1,000 living.Deaths.Death rate.
18914,7671.1214.05*
18926,9431.6292.07*
18939,7122.2424.10*
18946,1041.4221.05*

Whereas, therefore, there has been in 1892 and 1893 increase in the case and death rate
from this disease, in the year 1894 there was decrease.

The number of cases and the case rate of each sanitary district in London is shown in the following table—

Sanitary district.Cases, 1894.Case rate per 1,000 living, 1894.Sanitary district.Cases, 1894.Case rate per 1,000 living, 1894.
Paddington1231.0Whitechapel991.3
Kensington1861.1St. George's-in-the-East721.6
Hammersmith ...95.9Limehouse831.5
Fulham... ...1151.0Mile-end Old Town1631.5
Chelsea...1421.4Poplar3612.1
St. George, Hanover-sq.52.7St. Saviour, Southwark341.3
Westminster ...33.6St. George, Southwark751.3
St. James231.0Newington1741.5
Marylebone2611.9St. Olave171.3
Hampstead66.9Bermondsey941.1
Pancras...4682.0Rotherhithe1162.9
Islington4101.2Lambeth3071.1
Stoke Newington23.7Battersea2991.9
Hackney2651.3Wandsworth2471.4
St. Giles631.7Camberwell3281.3
St. Martin-in-the-Fields151.1Greenwich2571.5
Strand11.5Lewisham1301.3
Holborn772.4Woolwich32.8
Clerkenwell1011.6Lee25.7
St. Luke952.3Plumstead631.1
London, City of421.2Port of London2
Shoreditch1981.6London6.1041.4
Bethnal-green2622.0

Puerperal Fever.
The deaths attributed to puerperal fever in the registration county of London in 1894
numbered 210. The corrected annual average of the preceding ten vears being 302'6.

The number of cases notified and the number of deaths registered from puerperal fever in each of the last four years were as follows—

Cases.Deaths.
1891221222
1892338313
1893400352
1894254210

. See footnote (*), page 8.