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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39
It will thus be seen that over 79 per cent, of the total deaths occurred among children under
one year of age, and over 93 per cent, among children under five years of age.
It will be seen from the following table that the London diarrhæa death-rate was lower than that of any of the undermentioned towns in the year 1898, and in the period 1888-97 was lower than that of any, except Bristol—-
| Towns. | 1888-97. | 1898, | Towns. | 1888-97. | 1898. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 0 671 | 0 9 71 | Bristol | 0.50 | 1.10 |
| Manchester | 1.10 | 1.84 | Nottingham | 0.98 | 1.20 |
| Liverpool | 1.17 | 1.54 | Bradford | 0.87 | 1.05 |
| Birmingham | 1.11 | 1.36 | Hull | 1.29 | 1.85 |
| Leeds | 1.10 | 1.22 | Salford | 1.40 | 2.16 |
| Sheffield | 1.21 | 1.89 | West Ham | 0.76 | 0.98 |
During the year the eastern group of districts had the highest death-rate, and the northern
group the lowest. Among the several sanitary districts the death-rate was highest in St. George,
Southwark, and lowest in the City. During the first quarter of the year the central group of
districts had the highest death-rate, and the western and northern groups the lowest; during the
second and third quarters of the year the eastern group of districts had the highest death-rate and
the northern the lowest; while in the fourth quarter the central group of districts had the highest
death-rate, and the western arroun the lowest.
The death-rate of each sanitary district in the period 1888-97 and in 1898 will be seen from the following table—
| Sanitary district. | Deaths, 1898. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. | Sanitary district. | Deaths, 1898. | Death-rate per 1,000 living. | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1888—97. | 1898. | 1888—97. | 1898. | ||||
| Paddington | 83 | .54 | .65 | Shoreditch | 192 | 1.02 | 1.58 |
| Kensington | 110 | .48 | .64 | Bethnal-green | 142 | .79 | 1.10 |
| Hammersmith | 120 | .80 | 1.12 | Whitechapel | 63 | .72 | .78 |
| Fulham | 180 | 1.08 | 1.44 | St. George.in.the.East | 60 | 1.41 | 1.25 |
| Chelsea | 74 | .67 | .77 | Limehouse | 90 | .86 | 1.54 |
| St. George, Hanover. square | 29 | .31 | .36 | Mile.end Old.town | 142 | .77 | 1.27 |
| Poplar | 237 | .72 | 1.40 | ||||
| Westminster | 32 | .61 | .61 | St. Saviour, Southwark | 25 | .74 | 1.02 |
| St. James | 9 | .37 | .41 | St. George, Southwark Newington | 99 | .99 | 1.64 |
| Marylebone | 79 | .53 | .56 | 182 | .80 | 1.48 | |
| Hampstead | 24 | .27 | .31 | St. Olave | 5 | .91 | .44 |
| Pancras | 214 | .65 | .88 | Bermondsey | 80 | .75 | .94 |
| Islington | 291 | .56 | .85 | Rotherhithe | 21 | .84 | .52 |
| Stoke Newington | 27 | .62 | .78 | Lambeth | 281 | .64 | .93 |
| Hackney | 180 | .82 | Battersea | 157 | .66 | .92 | |
| St. Giles | 23 | .51 | .61 | Wandsworth | 166 | .82 | |
| St. Martin-in-the-Fields | 4 | .32 | .32 | Camber well | 252 | .64 | .97 |
| Greenwich | 222 | .69 | 1.23 | ||||
| Strand | 14 | .52 | .60 | Lewisham | 125 | .44 | 1.14 |
| Holborn | 28 | .66 | .93 | Woolwich | 54 | .58 | 1.31 |
| Clerkenwell | 94 | .92 | 1.43 | Lee | 30 | .34 | .76 |
| St. Luke | 63 | 1.04 | 1.54 | Plumstead | 57 | .51 | .91 |
| London, City of | 5 | .23 | .17 | London | 4,385 | .672 | .972 |
Cholera. During the year 1898 twenty.three persons were certified to be suffering from cholera. The cases were thus distributed—
| Kensington | 1 | St. George, Southwark | 3 |
| St. Pancras | 4 | Lambeth | 7 |
| Holborn | 1 | Lewisham | 1 |
| Shoreditch | 1 | Plumstead | 3 |
| Poplar | 2 |
The number of deaths attributed to cholera anil choleraic diarrhoea was l30.1
I made inquiry of medical officers of health concerning all cases and deaths occurring among
persons over one year of age, and ascertained that there was no reason for thinking that any of
these cases were cases of Asiatic cholera.
References to this subject are found in the annual reports of medical officers of health of the
following districts—
Shoreditch—" There was one case of cholera certified in August. The patient, a man aged
about 40, a cane maker by trade, was taken ill on August 13th with slight diarrhoea. On August
15th the diarrhoea was very severe, and was attended with vomiting and cramps in the limbs. The
1 See footnote (2), page 3.
2 See footnote ('), pags 3.