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 1898
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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thought possible that they were made in places where the sanitary arrangements were had. Inquiry
was made, and the houses of the vendors inspected, with the result that nothing was found
that could connect the disease with the ice creams. In the case of the adults it was found that a
great number were employed by the river Thames, and some acknowledged to having bathed there.
Considering the stench that arose from the foreshore of the river Thames during the very hot
weather in August and September it is not surprising that under such conditions enteric fever was
prevalent."
Lee (Eltham)—Of eight cases notified, the disease, in three cases, was contracted outside the
district.
Plumstead—Of 28 cases notified, 21 were removed to hospital.
Enteric fever—Age and sex distribution.
It will be seen from the following table that in the year 1898 the case-rate and death-rate among males was greater than that among females at " all ages." It will also be seen that this greater incidence of attack among males was manifested at each age period, and the greater incidence of death was manifested at each age period, except 0—5, 5—10, and 10—15. The case mortality among males at "all ages" was greater than among females, this being due to the higher case mortality among males above 20 years of age—
| Age-period. | Males. | Females. | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cases. | Deaths. | Case mortality per cent. | Kates per 100,000 living. | Cases. | Deaths. | Case mortality per cent. | Rates per 100,000 living. | |||
| Cases. | j Deaths. | Cases. | Deaths. | |||||||
| All ages. | 1,716 | 344 | 200 | 81 | 16 | 1,308 | 243 | 186 | 55 | 10 |
| 0— | 2 | — | 7.7 | — | — | 18.0 | ||||
| 1— | 7 | _ | 6 | 2 | ||||||
| 2_ | 11 | 1 | 29 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 23 | 4 | ||
| 3— | 33 | 2 | 31 | 2 | ||||||
| 4— | 25 | 3 | 16 | 5 | ||||||
| 5— | 186 | 14 | 7.5 | 77 | 6 | 176 | 20 | 11.4 | 72 | 8 |
| 10— | 251 | 23 | 9.2 | 114 | 10 | 197 | 22 | 11.2 | 88 | 10 |
| 15— | 304 | 54 | 17.8 | 144 | 26 | 206 | 48 | 23.3 | 88 | 20 |
| 20- | 241 | 67 | 27.8 | 116 | 32 | 186 | 40 | 21.5 | 74 | 16 |
| 25— | 395 | 97 | 24.6 | 111 | 27 | 264 | 45 | 17.0 | 64 | 11 |
| 35— | 166 | 46 | 27.7 | 63 | 17 | 142 | 38 | 26.8 | 49 | 18 |
| 45— | 51 | 21 | 41.2 | 28 | 11 | 53 | 15 | 28.3 | 25 | 7 |
| 55 and upwards. | 44 | 16 | 36.4 | 25 | 9 | 23 | 4 | 17.4 | 10 | |
Diarrihea. The deaths in the Administrative County of London attributed to diarrhoea and dysentery in the year 1898 numbered 4,365, compared with 4,098 in the year 1897. The death-rates per 1,000 living in 1898 and preceding periods were as follows—
| Period. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. | Period. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1851-60 | 1.03 | 1893 | 0.801 |
| 1861-70 | 1.04 | 1894 | 0.411 |
| 1871-80 | 0.95 | 1895 | 0.821 |
| 1881-90 | 0.75 | 1896 | 0.711 |
| 1891 | 0.571 | 1897 | 0921 |
| 1892 | 0.601 | 1898 | 0.971 |
The diarrhoea death-rate in each year since 1840 in relation to the mean death rate of the
period 1841-98, is shown in diagram XVII. The mean temperature of the summer quarter of each
year in relation to the mean of the period 1841-98 is also shown. The intimate relation between the
temperature of the summer ouarter and the amount of diarrhæa mortality will be seen.
The age distribution of the deaths2from this disease in the registration county of London in the year 1898 was as follows—
| Under 1 year. | 1-5. | 5-20. | 20-40. | 40-60. | 60-80. | 80 and upwards. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,461 | 612 | 10 | 18 | 62 | 156 | 57 |
* Eee footnote, page 22.
1 See footnote ('), page 3.
2 See footnote ; page 8