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

44
swelling on his left cheek. Mrs. N., the mother of G. N., stated that all three swellings "were the
same thing, "G. N." was the worst, but his sister was very bad." No confirmatory evidence as to the
nature of the swellings in question was forthcoming in the cases of sister and father. They had both
of them been working with horsehair.
On March 5th, V. D., æt. 33, who had been carrying goat skins at Topping's-wharf, noticed a
pimple on the right side of his neck. On the 6th it "was like a boil." On the 7th it was excised at
Guy's Hospital; the patient, however, died. D. had been engaged during the week preceding his
illness in sorting and handling a consignment of 79 bales of goat skins from China. These skins
arrived in the Thames on February 21st, some of them were scabby and had lost the hair in places.
Two cwt. of the worst of the skins were kept back at the wharf, the remainder had been sent to New
York. The medical officer of health of St. Olave, Soutliwark, Dr. Wightwick, made arrangements to.
destroy the 2 cwt. of worthless skins.
On September 17th, F. E. B„ æt. 18, was admitted to Guy's Hospital, having a malignant
pustule on the right side of the neck. The patient lived in Snows'-fields, Bermondsey, and had
been engaged in handling hides (some of them from China) at Messrs. Topping's wharf in Tooley*
street. The pustule was excised and the patient made a good recovery.
On December 10th, R. G. E., cet. 50, who was employed at a brushmaker's in Tabard-street, S.E.,
developed a swelling behind his left ear. When seen by his medical attendant he was found to be in
a typhoid condition, and his temperature was 1043°. On the 11th, vomiting supervened. The
swelling on this day was about the size of half-a-crown, and presented a central slough with a red
border and considerable surrounding oedema. The patient became collapsed, and died on the 14th. The
death was registered as being due to malignant pustule, and there seems to have been no doubt as to
the nature of the malady; no bacteriological examination, however, was made.
Meteorology.
The tables published in the annual summary of the Registrar-General, and prepared by Mr.
James Glaisher, F.R.S., from observations at Greenwich, show that the mean temperature of the air
in the year 1894 was 49.9 degrees Fahrenheit, or 1.3 degrees Fahrenheit above the average of 123 years.
The rainfall in the year amounted to 26'88 inches, and was 1.84 inches in excess of the mean of 79
years.

The temperature and rainfall in each month of 1894 are shown in the following table:—

Month.Temperature of the Air.Departure from average of 123 years.Rain.
Highest by Day.Lowest by Night.Mean for Month.Number of days it fell.Amount collected.
deg. F.deg. F.deg. F.deg. F.inches.
January52.212.838.2+ P.5213.09
February55.924.441.5+ 2.7131.59
March68.029.344.4+ 3.3120.72
April75.834.351.0+ 4.9131.44
May70.432.350.3— 2.3171.52
June82.143.358.6+ 0.3142.04
July86.049.062.0+ 0.3223.26
August80.544.259.6— 1.3173.03
September70.333.354.1— 2.5131.25
October62.030.550.2+ 0.7183.99
November64.931.146.9+ 4.4173.00
December52.928.242.2+ 3.2151.95