London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1900
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
This page requires JavaScript
The death rates from smallpox in successive periods have been as follows—
| Period. | Smallpox death rate per 1,000 living. | Period. | Smallpox death rate per 1,000 living. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1851-60 | 1894 | 0.0201 | ||
| 1861-70 | 1895 | 0.0121 | ||
| 1871-80 | 0.46 | 1896 | 0.0021 | |
| 1881-90 | 0.14 | 1897 | 0.0041 | |
| 1891 | _1 | 1898 | 0.0001 | |
| 1892 | 0.0071 | 1899 | 0.0011 | |
| 1893 | 0.0401 | 1900 | 0.0011 | |
In this table where — is inserted no deaths occurred.
The smallpox death rate in each year since 1840 in relation to the mean smallpox death
rate of the period 1841-1900 is shown in diagram IV. The relation of smallpox mortality to
season will be seen on reference to diagram V. (A.), showing the average weekly deaths from this
disease in the 60 years 1841-1900.
During the complete years in which the notification of infectious diseases has been obligatory, the number of cases of smallpox notified to the medical officers of health in the various sanitary districts comprised in the administrative county has been as follows—
| Year. | Cases notified. | Case rate per 1,000 living. |
|---|---|---|
| 1890 | 60 | 0.014 |
| 1891 | 114 | 0.027 |
| 1892 | 425 | 0.100 |
| 1893 | 2,815 | 0.653 |
| 1894 | 1,193 | 0.274 |
| 1895 | 980 | 0.223 |
| 1896 | 225 | 0.050 |
| 1897 | 104 | 0.023 |
| 1898 | 33 | 0.007 |
| 1899 | 29 | 0.006 |
| 1900 | 86 | 0.019 |
If the London smallpox death rate be compared with the death rates of the following large
English towns it will be seen that in the period 1890-9 the London death rate was exceeded by the
death rates of Birmingham, Bristol, Bradford, Hull and West Ham, while in 1900 in none of these
towns, except Liverpool and Hull, were sufficient deaths registered to give an appreciable death rate—
| Towns. | 1890-9. | 1900. | Towns. | 1890-9. | 1900. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.01 | 0.002 | Bristol | — | ||
| Manchester | — | Nottingham | — | ||
| Liverpool | 0.03 | Bradford | 0.07 | — | |
| Birmingham | 0.05 | — | Hull | 0.07 | 0.08 |
| Leeds | Salford | ||||
| Sheffield | 0.00 | — | West Ham | 0.05 | — |
In this table 0.00 indicates that the deaths were too few to give a rate of 0.005 ; where no death occurred — is inserted.
If the London small-pox death rate be compared with the death rates of the following large
foreign towns it will be seen that in the period 1890-9 the London rate was exceeded by the rates of
all these towns, except Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin and Rome, while in 1900 in none
of these towns, except Paris and St. Petersburg, were sufficient deaths registered to give an appreciable
death rate—
| Towns. | 1890-9. | 1900. | Towns. | 1890-9. | 1900. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.002 | St. Petersburg | ||||
| Paris | 0.08 | Berlin | 0.00 | ||
| Brussels | 0.09 | 0.00 | Vienna | 0.04 | — |
| Amsterdam | 0.00 | — | Rome | 0.01 | |
| Copenhagen | 0.00 | — | New York | 0.00 | |
| Stockholm | — | 0.00 |
In this table 0.00 indicates that the deaths were too few to give a rate of 0.005; where — is inserted no deaths occurred.
1 See footnote (') page 5. 2 See footnote (2), page 5.