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 1901
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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18
The smallpox death rate in each year since 1840 in relation to the mean smallpox deulh
rate of the period 1841-1901 is shown in diagram IV.
During the complete years 111 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 | 6O | 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 |
| 1901 | 1,700 | 0.375 |
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 1891-1900 the London rate was exceeded
by the death rate of Birmingham, Bristol, Bradford, Hull and West Ham, while in 1901 the
London death rate was considerably higher than those of Liverpool, West Ham and Newcastle;
no deaths from this disease being registered in any of the other towns shown in the table.
| Towns. | 1891-1900. | 1901. | Towns. | 1891-1900. | 1901. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nottingham | 0.00 | - | |||
| Manchester | 001 | — | Bradford | 0.07 | — |
| Liverpool | 001 | 0.01 | Hull | 0.08 | — |
| Birmingham | 005 | — | Salford | 0.01 | — |
| Leeds | 001 | — | West Ham | 0.05 | 0.01 |
| Sheffield | 000 | — | Leicester | 0.01 | — |
| Bristol | 002 | - | Newcastle | 0.00 | 0.00 |
In this table 0 00 indicates that the deaths were too few to give a rate of 0.005 ; where no dea'.h occurred — is inserted.
If the London smallpox death rate be compared with the death rates of the following
large foreign towns it will be seen that in the period 1891-1900 the London rate was exceeded
by the rates of Paris, Brussels, St. Petersburg, Vienna and New York, and in 1901 by the rates
of Paris and New York.
| Towns. | 1891-1900. | 1901. | Towns. | 1891-1900. | 1901. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Petersburg | 0.12 | 0.04 | |||
| Paris | 0.03 | 0.16 | Berlin | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Brussels | 0.08 | 0.00 | Vienna | 0.03 | 0.00 |
| Amsterdam | o.oo | — | Rome | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Copenhagen | 0.00 | — | New York | 0.02 | 0.12 |
| Stockholm | 0.00 | — |
In this table O.OO indicates that the deaths were too few to give a rate of 0'005; where U3 death occurred — is inserted.
By the courtesy of the President of the Imperial Board of Health of Germany, I have
been permitted to reproduce diagrams (see Chart B) showing the death rates from smallpox for a
series of years in several of the European towns mentioned in the above table. These diagrams
were originally published in a work entitled " Blattern und Schutznockenimpfung" Berlin. 1900.
ihe tollowing table shows the death rate irom smallpox in 1901 and the case rates for
1901 and the decennium 1891-1900 in the several metropolitan boroughs included in the administrative
county—
1 See footnote (2), page 9.