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

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London County Council 1895

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

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40
districts in England. Examination of the number of cases of enteric fever notified in a number ot
districts outside, but in the immediate neighbourhood of London, and included in this return, shows
that increase of such cases in the fiftieth week was not limited to the County of London. In the
larger towns of England included in this return, however, there was generally decrease in this week.
The actual increase in the number of cases of enteric fever in London in the fiftieth week is small, and
is of interest only in so far as it suggests a behaviour of enteric fever in London in 1895 differing from
the usual behaviour of the disease during the few years in which notification has been obligatory, and
resembling in some degree the behaviour of enteric fever in 1894, which I have discussed in the repoit
for that year. Longer experience of notification is needed to show more certainly whether such increase
occurs in the absence of river flood.

The following table shows the case rates and death rates per 1,000 living in each of the several sanitary districts in 1895, and the mean death rates per 1,000 living in the period 1885-94.

Sanitary district.Cases, 1895.Case rate per 1,000, 1895.Deaths, 1895.Death rates per 1,000.
1885-94.1895.
Paddington71.613.13.11
Kensington99.615.10.09
Hammersmith57.612.13.12
Fulham58.512.11
Chelsea73.813.14.13
St. George, Hanover-square39.59.11.11
Westminster27.53.10.06
St. James11.56.16.26
Marylebone1351.023.12.16
Hampstead63.89.09.12
Pancras153.630.14.13
Islington197.630.14.09
Stoke Newington30.94.18.12
Hackney2571.245.21
St. Giles26.72.19.05
St. Martin-in-the-Fields141.11.13.08
Strand241.05.20.21
Holborn20.6.18
Clerkenwell56.811.14.17
St. Luke33.86.14.14
London, City of351.113.11.40
Shoreditch105.922.15.18
Bethnal-green122.917.17.13
Whitechapel31.410.12.13
St. George-in-the-East38.87.16.15
Limehouse54.910.20.17
Mile-end Old-town78.717.19.15
Poplar1771.133.20.20
St. Saviour, Southwark11.41.11.04
St. George, Southwark45.77.11.12
Newington84.715.13.13
St. Olave2.22.13.17
Bermondsey58.711.13.13
Rotherhithe32.89.18.22
Lambeth215.726.12.09
Battersea133.822.13.14
Wandsworth134.726.14
Camberwell237.933.12.13
Greenwich150.917.16.10
Lewisham54.59.10.09
Woolwich501.29.13.22
Lee14.43.08.08
Plumstead2153.730.52
Port of London4
London3,5218598.14*.14*

The only outbreak of any considerable dimensions was that already referred to, and which
occurred in Plumstead and in less degree in Woolwich. The circumstances of this outbreak were
investigated by Dr. Hamer on behalf of the Council, and his report will be found in the appendix (see
Appendix I.).
The outbreak had its beginning early in the month of May, and by the end of June 177 persons
had been attacked with enteric fever, of whom 159 received their milk from a dairy in the Princes-road,
or from dairies supplied from that source. This dairy was supplied with water from the mains of the Kent
Waterworks Company. The milk was derived from twelve cows kept in a shed on the premises, and
*See footnote (2), page 10,